


Reading Between The Lines

by Vault13



Series: Levi x Hanji (LeviHan) [3]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Banter, Boss/Employee Relationship, F/M, Oral Sex, Pegging
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2020-11-03
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:02:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 31,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26746327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vault13/pseuds/Vault13
Summary: This AU is a modern day corporate setting. Hanji is a successful CEO without having sacrificed her humanity for it, Levi is a product of the system who has mostly worked himself out. This setting will focus on Hanji and Levi having a relationship in this environment and things that transpire. It's a headcanon I've had for a while.
Relationships: Levi & Hange Zoë, Levi Ackerman/Hanji Zoe, Levi/Hange Zoë
Series: Levi x Hanji (LeviHan) [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/849312
Comments: 36
Kudos: 84





	1. An Introduction to the AU

Just how long had Levi been working there? It felt longer than it really was, perhaps it was because the CEO of the company was absolutely beautiful in a way that would have intimidated him if she, herself, were not so openly approachable. She was like no one he had worked for before, she seemed like she genuinely cared. The kind of boss who sends everyone a personal Christmas card and doesn't actually screw up the names of any family members. The kind of boss who just wanted you to do the work assigned to you and otherwise didn't breathe down your neck to find something else to do. Meetings were actually kind of fun and she had a genuine sense of humor and it was crazy just how magnetic her personality was. It was as crazy as the fact she wasn't constantly shoving charts in your face and trying to increase productivity. She was... Happy with simply being successful enough to be able to keep everything going with a decent profit with fair wages. It was bewildering to Levi that she just seemed to genuinely give a damn about people. He barely gave a damn about people. All previous work environments had been oppressive, mechanical things that would chew you up if you slipped and got caught in the gears. 

The kind of people who sent e-mails company-wide about their brand new boat while most employees were just trying to make sure they had enough to keep on their feet. Being treated as something with a degree of disposability was something he was familiar with so it had not been hard to just keep his head down and do his work. Levi had lost his mother at a young age, so young that his memories were a fleeting and vague thing. More like feelings than any sort of visual. A sense of what things were like. From then on he had briefly been under the care of his uncle and, well, in Levi's own words, 'Fuck that guy.' He had honestly been a sword with two edges, he had taught Levi how to fight for himself but at the same time he had also induced a sense that the world was something he had to react to with violence. He wasn't quite a teenager when he began to show he had a fuse shorter than he was- and people quickly learned not to make jabs about his height because he tended to react with literal jabs. 

It had gotten him expelled from four schools and passed between five different foster families all but the last of which had treated him more like a roommate than family. By the time he had ended up in the care of people who really cared he was a year shy of eighteen and thoroughly jaded and felt as though they were just going through the motions. It had taken him about ten years to apologize and reconcile with them- he had sort some of his own personal shit out and look back on his life to realize he was the problem there and it was possible one of the previous families might have given more a damn than he thought but he had long-since forgotten their names. Landing a corporate job had been kind of an accident but once he had spent time in the trenches of cubicle life it made it easier to get jobs in similar areas. He had been stunned behind his somewhat stoic demeanor when the CEO had actually interviewed him. 

Growing up the way he did made social interaction awkward at best and actively horrible most of the time. It was easier to just not say anything instead of risk his job by pissing someone off because he wasn't good at expressing himself. The CEO had hired him despite an interview he was fairly sure he was unimpressive but she had reiterated that she 'knew' the kind of person he was. Which... Was slightly galling to just think she knew him so well without having actually met him but the time he had been working there had shown a strange understanding on her part. He was fairly certain she must have had a sibling or some other family member who had a similar demeanor or issue. She was, honestly, the kind of person who would grate on every nerve with her energy and excitement and general volume at most times but... She didn't. He had presumed that was why she had built such a successful business and had a loyal workforce. She seemed to understand morale and actually care about it. 

She asked, often, how he was doing and it was in a way that felt like she genuinely wanted to know. She was puzzling, he had never met anyone in a corporate environment (especially not in the higher tiers) who was anything but entirely out of touch or just infuriating in their singular drive for the bottom line. The kind of people who call you after open-heart surgery to remind you that your don't have many vacation days left. He had had to pass that memo on to the poor receptionist that had to make that call. It was... gross. The entire atmosphere of this work environment was so much less oppressive and bitter. One could say what they wanted about Hanji Zoe but she knew how to treat people from the top to the bottom of the ladder. It was almost surreal- but that was hardly the most unusual thing he experienced from her. Most of it was in the frustrating attraction he had to her, things that he had never dealt with before and now he was out of his depth trying to figure out what to do with them.


	2. Steak Fries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You rarely find a boss who makes a work feel like anything but work. Levi, among others, lucked out with Hanji. The unfortunate part of it all is that an attraction exists on Levi's part and workplace relationships are hardly allowed in regulations. More than that, they complicate things. A quick after-work bite to eat allows the both of them learn a bit more about one another. Also, Levi tips well.

She was doing it again, she was breathing down his neck but it was quite literal at that moment. The way Hanji leaned in over Levi's shoulder made the hair on his neck stand on end, it made his heart pick up, it made him feel a bit uncomfortable but sheerly because he didn't know what the hell to do with the fact that he reacted to it so strongly. That the scent of her caused dopamine to hit like a haymaker. It was fortunate she was always behind him so she never saw the look on his face he was sure had to be extremely strange. That scent of hers, the mixture of whatever shampoo she so adored, soap, and one of the few perfumes he had gotten to know to be signaling her approach- if only by a few moments. The feel of her body heat meeting his skin and the ridiculous degree to which he was unprepared to deal with these kinds of responses. He wasn't a blushing schoolchild but he felt tremendously different when she was this close.

"Oooh, you closed on the Brzenska deal? That's great! I knew you would get that one taken care of for me. She was kind of particular, right?" Hanji said, grinning as she looked over the monitor on Levi's desk.

"Yeah, it wasn't really that hard. She mostly just wanted to lay everything out before she even considered signing off on it." Levi responded, breathing in the scent of her with more relish than he would admit.

Hanji grinned, "I told you, didn't I? It was about a year ago, right?"

"I... What did you tell me?" Levi asked, fully aware she didn't realize just how talkative she was.

"Your interview! I told you I knew what kind of person you were!"

"Oh, yeah... What is that, anyway?"

"You're kind of hard to read but you don't slack off. You're smarter than people give you credit for."

Well, Levi wasn't so sure about the latter but he was an astute worker, "Heh, I guess that's not wrong."

"It's right on the nose! I just have a bit of a knack for it. You don't give yourself enough credit." She said, standing upright.

"Well, you're the boss. I'm not going to argue."

"You've told me you disagree with me before."

"Yeah."

"That's good!"

"Not at any job I have ever had before this one."

"I take that as a compliment. I want people to let me know if I'm not seeing all the angles." Hanji spoke honestly.

"It's nice to be able to talk with my boss instead of just tell them what they want to hear." Levi replied just as earnestly.

"That's what I want. I don't want to view my employees like resources." Hanji expressed rather passionately.

"You're definitely... " Levi began, turning to look back over his shoulder.

"Weird?"

"I wasn't going to use that word but I guess it fits."

"Yep, I got that my whole life. I'd rather be weird than unapproachable."

"I'm glad you took the job, Levi. You've always worked hard, maybe a bit too hard, but you've never disappointed me."

"I really screwed up the Shadis deal..."

"That guy was a bit of a dick, the fact you could listen to him without telling him to take the stick out of his ass is impressive." Hanji said with and amused tone.

"I've just dealt with a lot of assholes, I guess." Levi replied, shrugging.

"Yeah, I just couldn't deal with that guy- it's why I pawned him off on you." she said with a chuckle.

"Well, at least you're honest."

"Honest and about due for a teleconference. Keep up the good work, Levi."

Like that she was jogging away and Levi felt like he could breathe a bit deeper. He wasn't so blind or inept to recognize that he was painfully attracted to her, it was why he could only look her in the eye when there was a slight distance between them. When she was that close his mind got fuzzy around the edges but he felt... Comfortable and awkward at the same time. It was her gift, something like that, she was charming and could laugh at herself and also the whole part where she was absolutely gorgeous. That face had spent plenty of time in fantasies quite a lot. She was just as enticing in a skirt, stockings, and heels as she was in slacks and tennis shoes. How she chose her attire for a given day was an absolute mystery to him but she always looked good... She just looked even better when he could get a look at her legs- she had to do some kind of running to keep them in the shape they were. He was rather enamored and he was also just kind of watching her duck into her office- he quickly tuned back to his work and exhaled a sigh. He'd gone from hating his boss to being ridiculously attracted to his next one, it was a hell of a change.

Later in the day Levi's phone vibrated in his pocket- it was nearly time to punch out. Killing the alarm, he logged out of his account and tossed an empty cup of coffee in the trash. Levi stood, pushed his chair in and checked his pocket for his keys as people filed out around him. Hanji strolled casually toward him in a way he noticed immediately, the smile on her face made his jaw clench just because he didn't want to make some stupid expression with how her smile tended to make him feel a bit dopey. She walked up and laid her forearm on his shoulder, watching people depart. Levi cursed inwardly and tried to figure out how people were supposed to deal with this feeling. It really sucked having to keep it to himself but it was better than the alternative and even then it would just make everything super awkward and weird. He didn't think she would mind the truth of it but he couldn't help but feel it would change how they interacted entirely. That it would just be a bit more distant or careful and he liked how he could just hold conversation with her...

"Always the last one out. You could stand to skip out a few minutes early once in a while. It's not like anyone is doing anything in those last five minutes." Hanji said as she looked at him from behind stylish framed glasses.

Levi tilted his head, his eyes following her from the floor up. Tennis shoes, slacks, a button-down shirt, and those brown eyes, "I'm not really in any rush to get anywhere."

"Well, at least at home you can relax, right?" she posited.

Levi thought for a moment and then shook his head, "I'm kind of a boring person, honestly. My apartment looks basically like it did before I moved in." he responded.

"It does not." she snorted, nudging him a bit with her arm.

"Okay, well, obviously there's furniture but... That's about it." Levi replied with a matter-of-fact tone.

"You have to have something. Movies, TV, music, a bathroom with a billion razors and trimmers-"

"Wait, what?"

"Levi, you're so clean-shaven that the hair on my legs gets jealous of the hair on your face. Or neck." Hanji said.

"That's... Uh... Thanks?" was uttered by Levi in response, wondering just how much she looked him over. He felt that awkward sensation again.

"It was a compliment, Levi, yes.

"I just... I kind of keep everything clean."

Hanji stared blankly, "You literally have the cleanest cubicle in the office. I'm pretty sure the Janitor loves you. I've seen you toss out other people's trash."

"Kind of putting me on trial here." Levi muttered, her words pulling him back out of that awkwardness.

"Pff, you confessed already. We don't even need a jury."

"Yeah, shit, I guess I painted myself into a corner."

"You're going away for this, Ackerman. You're too tidy."

"I didn't even get to consult a lawyer."

"I'm sure they'll put you on cleaning detail, you'll love it."

"It was actually kind of a zen thing for me."

Hanji paused, quirking a brow, "Come again?"

Well, shit, that just slipped right out. "I wasn't exactly a well-behaved kid."

"You're not a well behaved adult- Okay, okay, you're actually one of the most honest people I've met. I'm sorry, I was joking."

"I got what you meant, it's not that big of a deal."

"Yeah? Good. You're basically the only person here who seems to tease me back. Well, the only person who's good at it."

"Poking fun at your boss tends to cut your career pretty short."

"Yes, but you know I'm not that kind of boss." Hanji said with a hint of pride.

She was right. Levi liked her a lot but more than she knew,"Yeah... You're honestly the best boss I've ever had but sometimes you can't just be everyone's friend."

"I understand that and if a situation comes up where I need to be that kind of boss I'll be that kind of boss. I wouldn't be here if I couldn't."

"I guess that's a good point."

Hanji looked to a clock on the wall and back to Levi, "I really want something terrible for me for dinner. Do you want to watch me make poor life choices?"

"Are you asking me if I want to get some kind of greasy food with you?" Levi asked with narrowed eyes.

She grinned "Well, yeah I guess? Beats sitting alone at the counter."

"Oh, a sit-down place."

"Yeah, a diner, let's get something really good." Hanji let out eagerly.

Levi thought a second, "Well, if that's what you want then the only good place is-"

"Niccolo's." they said in unison.

* * *

It wasn't much of a drive, not really. Levi passed it on the way home he took when he expected traffic to be bad. It wasn't quite an institution but the place just couldn't be matched. The portions were generous, the food was amazing, and Niccolo himself was so incredibly passionate about cooking 'good' food. It was certainly good tasting, good for you? Well, not if you ate there often. It was a place where you were better off not looking at calorie information- it's not like they were really accurate. Levi had actually ended up there with time to spare, getting seated in a corner booth. He liked a wall at his back. He ordered his drink and began to peruse the menu for all of a second before the voice of Niccolo himself shouted from the back.

"Hanji! Hanji Zoe! You look beautiful today!" Levi raised his eyebrow and leaned out a bit to peer toward the entrance to find Niccolo and Hanji smiling bright at one another.

"You look healthy!" Hanji said excitedly.

Niccolo laughed, "Always healthy when such a pretty lady is here!"

Hanji shook her head, "Stop it. I can see the look on Sasha's face from here and she's going to thrash you for saying that like she isn't here all the time."

Levi couldn't see into the kitchen but Hanji's waved seemed to indicate she recognized someone back there. He hadn't ever seen Niccolo make such a display any time he had been here. He was always cooking something up and calling out orders when they were ready.

"She's happy to see you, I can see it on her face. She can't speak, eating early dinner."

"Well, with the way you cook I'd have a hard time not eating a more than a few times a day."

"Take a seat, let me get your order!"

"Oh, uh, I'm actually here with someone- he's probably already here." Hanji said, looking around and craning her neck to find Levi raising his hand briefly. "There he is."

"Oh, this is a special guy?"

"Niccolo- I can have friends."

"Business dinner." Niccolo guessed.

Hanji shook her head again, "Niccolo."

"Cousin."

"Niccolo he's-"

"Long lost twin."

"Just an employee, man!" she laughed, slapping him on the arm.

"Well, don't let me stop you- by the way, food? No charge tonight. Happy to see you."

Hanji knit her brows, "Niccolo, you can't keep doing that."

"Niccolo does what Niccolo wants in his own business." Niccolo said as he stepped back, gesturing broadly around himself.

Hanji pursed her lips for a second. "All right but... This is the last time!"

Niccolo stepped back into the kitchen "I will consider it."

Hanji made her way down to the table and slipped into the booth across from Levi, smirking and leaning forward on the table. A server just brought a drink for her, there was no question asked. Levi cocked his head. Hanji took the glass and a healthy drink. "I know."

Levi looked her over, "What?"

"I promise I don't eat here as much as it seems."

"Why does that matter? I've never seen Niccolo come out shouting like that. That was weird."

"It wasn't weird, he always does that."

"It was weird, I've never seen that happen."

Hanji sighed, leaning in conspiratorially, "I kind of pulled some strings and got him a pretty good loan."

Levi smirked, "She uses her powers for good. Huh, guess I have you to thank for Milkshakes nearly too thick for a straw."

"And the steak fries."

"How do you mean?"

"He was going to go home-style, I told him steak fries are what he wanted."

"Have you just got a finger in every pie in the city?"

"Honestly, I met Niccolo a while back at a small business seminar thing, I wouldn't have gone out of my way if I didn't know he was a good guy. I just wish he'd actually charge me for once."

Levi glanced over the menu, "Well, you're clearly the veteran here, what do you get?"

"Nicco-Burger, medium, double order of fries, chocolate shake." Hanji said far quicker than Levi expected.

"Huh."

"The fries are good!"

"Yeah it's- I mean that's pretty much exactly what I get."

"Ha! No way, really?"

"I mean, strawberry shake and sometimes fried mushrooms instead of a second order of fries but not very often."

"You've chosen a side on the War of the Shakes."

"What? Strawberry?"

"Yep."

"Strawberry is my favorite."

Hanji pointed to Levi's face, "But chocolate is better."

Levi shook his head, "That's an opinion."

"No, it's a fact that also happens to be something I agreed strongly on."

"Don't be an ass. We just like different things."

"You're calling your boss an ass, your boss that is _getting you a free dinner_."

"We're off the clock and this dinner is going to shave a month off my life-"

"In the best way."

"Yes, it's fucking amazing here but my point stands. Strawberry is fine, Chocolate is fine. I just like one more than the other."

"I think I've just got too much energy, I'm just punchy."

"You have more energy on a given day than I do in a month. I have no idea how you constantly keep such a... Spirit? Whatever, you know what I mean. I haven't seen you in a bad mood except for maybe two times and even then you were downplaying it."

Hanji took another drink and waved her hand at him, "I... have fun at work! I try to make it fun or at least not some kind of thing people dread. You get told you're supposed to love your job but who gets to actually do that?"

"Uh... Monster Truck drivers?" Levi offered, knitting his brows in genuine concentration.

"A career I wanted as a child. For a month or so."

"Yeah that doesn't even remotely surprise me."

A server came to take Levi's order and place his drink on the table before departing, he quickly took up a straw and went about putting it in the drink before savoring it for a moment. Hanji watched him with those large brown eyes that just seemed to constantly be drinking in the world, even when it was the same office building every time he saw her. She took a drink from the rim of the glass and sank back into her seat before setting it down and folding her arms up behind her head where her chestnut hair was pinned up. Levi wondered just why he never saw a ring on her finger or heard a hint of her being in a relationship. Maybe she was just careful about keeping it separate? Then again, she kind of didn't mind sharing a lot of things. A more 'serious' matter was at hand.

"You don't use a straw." Levi observed.

Hanji looked to him curiously, "No?"

"I mean, people put their lips on them all the time."

"And they wash them."

"What if they don't wash them well enough?"

"Oh, come on. I know you're very focused on being clean but it doesn't hurt a thing to drink like I do."

"I'm just saying you don't know how well they washed that glass."

"Whatever, when you use a straw the drink gets all watered down before you finish it and the last ounces of the drink are miserable."

"That's why they refill them."

Hanji looked into Levi's eyes, "Levi, is this the hill you want to die on? Of all things?"

Levi scoffed, "I'm just saying-"

"I'm just saying! You avoid that watery gross taste if you drink from the top."

"All right."

"Plus with a straw it's not as cold, the drink is warmer at the bottom because the ice is lighter than the drink."

"That's why you let it set for a second."

"Levi, I'm an adult with many things to do, I don't have time to wait for the ice to _chill my drink to the bottom_ "

"You _are_ punchy."

"Damn straight. God, I want that burger _yesterday_." Hanji said, looking toward the kitchen.

Levi reached up to unbutton his shirt a touch, he wasn't in 'work mode' after-all. "You know it's weird, you make-"

"There it is!" Hanji exclaimed quietly.

Levi raised his brows, she was very excited about that burger, "It's not going to get here quicker if you stare at it."

"Shut up, I'm using my powers to get it here faster."

"She's not walking any faster."

"Keep telling yourself tha-" Hanji stopped once the server was within earshot and instead beamed a smile at her, happily letting the young woman place their orders on the table. Identical.

Hanji crammed two thick cut fries in her mouth immediately and clenched her hands into fists in front of her in clear relish. Well, she was about what she was about, Levi reasoned. He just watched how much she enjoyed even just that much. He was fairly certain she was kicking her legs a bit under the table until a knock to his shin confirmed it and got a wince out of him for a moment. Finally she took a drink and looked at Levi.

"What's weird?" Hanji asked.

Levi blinked at her, "Huh?"

She explained, "You said something was weird and then I kind of shut off because I could smell the burger."

"Oh, I honestly forgot. I was just going to tease you." he lied.

Hanji shrugged and went for her burger, Levi being smart enough to move his legs to avoid any kicks to the shin. He honestly wasn't that surprised, given how excitable she was in general. She groaned with delight and slapped the table lightly. "I love the food here but I have to keep myself from eating it too much- I just missed it."

"Hey, whatever you enjoy, you enjoy. The food's good." Levi admitted.

Conversation was a bit hard to wedge in once Hanji really started to dig in and Levi honestly needed no excuse to do the same. The place was great. They finished at about equal times, back to looking at one another. Hanji propped her head up on her hand, supporting her arm with the table. She looked at Levi as if she were looking for something he was unaware of. Levi felt that sort of weird rush come back to him that he got when she leaned over his shoulder. With any luck his face wouldn't betray that. Still, this? He hadn't eaten with someone in years, much less actually engaged in conversation on this level of energy. He actually didn't really talk all that much but, like always, Hanji seemed to make that part of him recede.

"So, what the hell do you even do when you go home?" Hanji asked with the subtlety of a brick to the face.

Levi had to think for a moment. "Uh, cook dinner and then try and find something interesting to watch."

"So you _do_ watch TV!" Hanji exclaimed.

"No one has 'TV' anymore." Levi muttered with a light roll of his eyes.

"You know what I mean. Spill, what have you been watching?"

"Documentaries, I guess. History stuff. Some comedy shows are pretty good, I guess."

"You know, I almost majored in Anthropology."

"Wonder where the hell you'd be now if you did?"

"Probably fighting to keep a roof over my head."

"That's pretty savage."

"It's me being honest."

"I avoided college because it felt like I could go for something I liked or something I could make money doing, not both. Plus my GPA was in the toilet. Also, student loan debt."

"I was lucky that my grandfather actually tucked away a tuition for me, I know not everyone gets that kind of chance. I would have gone for volleyball scholarship but I kind of messed up my knee my senior year and it, well it's decent now but I have to put a brace on it if I'm going to play."

"Ah, I played some soccer but I didn't last too long. I had a short fuse and I was too stupid to realize when I was being baited."

Hanji smirked, nodding at Levi, "Huh. You seem like you handled that, though."

Levi was entirely honest, "It took longer than I like to admit."

"At least you were able to see an issue and take care of it. That's progress even if it took a while."

"And what kind of kid were you?"

"Oh I was an absolute monster. I think my parents actually gained a few years on their lives when I moved to the dorms."

"How is that?"

"Oh I wasn't... I wasn't a problem as much as I just chased everything that interested me. I used to go through books like a machine. I was always reckless if something intrigued me."

"Still doesn't sound that bad."

"I liked dogs and cats, I used to climb the neighbor's fence and play with their dogs while they weren't home. My parents, meanwhile, called the police worried I had been abducted..."

"Okay, but that's one time."

Hanji took a breath, "No, it was... Well, my parents got so used to it that I think if anyone did abduct me I might have been screwed because they'd just think I was in another neighbor's yard somewhere in the neighborhood and spend a whole day debating whose turn it was to tell the owners it wouldn't happen again. Again. Plus, whoever abducted me would be paying them to take me back."

"Still..." Levi trailed off. He was back in that state of enchantment, her charm or charisma or maybe just her sense of humor?

"I climbed trees a lot to see bird nests and I just liked pretending I was some kind of super giant person looking down at a tiny world."

"A giant person?"

"Listen, that's hardly the weirdest thing I used to be kind of obsessed about. I always tried making my own fireworks around New Year's. I'd just dismantle everything and gather all the black powder and then I burned a hole in the yard about as wide as I was tall."

"That's pretty good."

"I used to make bombs out of aluminum foil an-"

"Yep. I did that."

"It's fun, right?"

"It was pretty fun."

"I probably made my parents think I was going to be some kind of pyromaniac or serial bomber or something. I stressed them out so bad." Hanji reasoned, smirking.

Levi smiled a bit, despite himself. "I mean, they did something right. You're successful and people really like you."

"How cool is fire, though?"

"I... Okay now I can't honestly say if you're screwing with me."

"I'm screwing with you. I do enjoy a nice bonfire and the like in the fall and winter. I have a fireplace I love to death. Ooh, I probably need to get to chopping wood this weekend."

"You chop your own wood?"

"Yeah, is that surprising?"

"I... Yes?"

"Mm, I guess since you've never seen me in a tank-top or anything that you might not think about it."

He wanted to see her in a tank-top, very much, "Hey, you're full of surprises so I'm taking your word for it."

The milkshakes arrived and were placed opposite the way they ordered them. Levi looked at the table, then to Hanji. She was thinking something up and that could be scary or maybe more of the assault on his identity as someone who hated talking. Hanji took a straw and tapped the top of the table with it as she glanced between the milkshakes.

"You're going to have the chocolate one and I'll take strawberry. But! You have to honestly tell me if strawberry is still your favorite when you finish. No bullshit." she declared.

Levi looked at her with a bit of confusion but it dissolved soon enough. "Okay, but it goes both ways."

"All right."

"I can't help but notice you're using a straw."

"... Who drinks a milkshake from the rim?"

"Yeah, okay, I didn't think that one out."

They shared a first draw of the opposing flavor and shared a gaze. Hanji raised her brows, "So?"

"I mean, it's not bad." Levi replied.

Hanji narrowed her eyes lightly, studying him, "Yeah, I guess the strawberry is 'not bad'."

"I'm telling you the truth."

"I can tell if you lie to me, Levi."

"Which is why I'm telling you the truth, yeesh."

Hanji clearly ruminated on something before she spoke up, "You should come out this weekend and chop some wood. I could use some help and if we sell off the excess I'll cut you in on the money."

"Are you going to pay me for the actual work of chopping the wood?" was the deadpan reply from Levi

"Yes, with the pleasure of my company."

"You got anything else?"

"Ah, you mean you won't perform physical labor for free for me? Damn."

"Gotta have scruples."

"Well, you should come out and we'll look at how much we can get done and I'll pay you what I think your half of the money would be."

"I... It's so weird I believe that you wouldn't actually rip me off."

"I've been working the long con since you started here, Levi. All to get you to chop wood for a pittance."

"Yeah, yeah. It's... I just trust you more than I do most people."

Hanji thought a moment, "Really? I probably trust too much..."

"Most people will try to get one over on you." Levi said with a bit of a dismal tone.

"Mm, that's not fair to say." Hanji murmured, her eyes softening a bit.

Levi sighed and nodded, "Guess I've just-You're right. I'm not going to bore you with details of how I was told the world was basically out to get me if I let it."

"It can be that way... "

"Maybe I'll tell you about my uncle Kenny some time but he was a piece of shit."

"Sounds like it." Hanji spoke with a touch of genuine empathy. It was clear Levi had a pretty... unfair past.

"Yeah, fuck that guy." Levi spit out, his eyes unfocused.

"Fuck him, indeed." Hanji followed up with a bit of grandiosity.

Just like that, Levi was reeled back in by that sense of humor, "I'll have to get your address."

"It was on the invitation for the Christmas party-... That you didn't come to. What did you do with that invitation?"

"I tossed it. I thought it would be like any other corporate Christmas party."

"Well, you'll come this year, right?"

"Yeah, I... I mean I don't get out much but you seem like you'd throw a pretty good party."

"No one vomited even with an open bar."

"... Yeah, I guess that's kind of impressive."

Milkshakes were at their dregs and Hanji kept turning those honey-brown eyes on him in a way that never failed to grasp his attention. He wondered, since she could so easily know she could trust him as a hire, if she could tell at any point what his thoughts and feelings were doing. It was kind of scary to think she just might but at the same time it would save him the trouble of having to explain it. It would already be out there. Ugh, this was why he had two girlfriends in his life and one of them lasted all of two days. Then again, he never felt so comfortable around them. The attraction was there to a degree but it was different with Hanji. Maybe it was the fact she was his boss? Atop the fact she was just objectively more attractive to him. She made it so easy to forget he ever had issues expressing himself and that was alluring. It was comforting. There he was thinking all of these things and it was just grabbing a burger with is boss, it was nothing more. He still had a ways to go to figure that crap out, he supposed. He did enjoy listening to her talk, she genuinely amused him, and she was wonderful to look at. Also, the way she smiled at him made him feel like he was catching flame somewhere inside.

"What say ye, Ackerman?" Hanji inquired, adjusting her glasses slightly.

Levi made a show of thinking it over, "It's close... But it's going to be strawberry, still."

"Damnit, you're telling the truth."

"Why would I lie about something this small?"

"Agh. Fine! I didn't know the strawberry was this good. I never tried it. I fell in love with chocolate and now I'm cheating on it with it's hotter brother."

"I think Chocolate will forgive you."

"Chocolate is understanding like that."

"I barely know it but I'll take your word for it. Strawberry is always reliable, though."

"This is the part where vanilla bursts in the room and falls to its knees and cries."

"Vanilla is just fine... Strawberry just has more to offer me."

"Vanilla probably dropped out of school to work for its parents."

"Mm, sacrificed for its siblings."

"Solid person."

"Mm, I suppose he's pretty popular in general."

"This is so dumb." Hanji said with a snort, allowing herself some snickering.

Levi liked the way she laughed, "Yeah, I... Haven't been this stupid since... You have a way of making me act like an idiot."

Hanji shook her head "Nah, you're just being goofy. You should be goofy more."

"You're goofy enough for both of us, come on."

"I mean... Yes? I'm not going to deny it but this turned out to be a lot more fun than I expected."

"Expect me to just eat and stare at my plate?"

"Not exactly but... I guess we really don't get to talk this much at the office."

"And off the clock."

"Yeah, I know I'm your boss but if there's anyone you can just... be yourself to? It's me."

"Mm."

"Honestly, I was thinking this would just be kind of a quick bite and some idle chat." Hanji said as she leaned forward onto her hand.

"That's the weird thing." Levi spoke up after a few moments.

"I'm the weird thing."

"Well- I mean... I don't know, it's easy to talk to you?"

"Yeah? Well, I hope so. I never try to come off as someone who you would have a problem talking to."

"It's more than that. I don't really talk much to anyone-"

"That's true."

"Hanji... Honestly. It's something I've kind of had problems with my whole life."

"I kind of assumed that by the interview. Or you were just having a rough time at the given moment."

"It was kind of hard."

"But you got through it, you've been incredibly valuable, and now you're going to help me chop wood this weekend." Hanji said, smirking.

Levi let out a faint chuckle, "Yeah, just... Weird not feeling super awkward or like I'm going to say the wrong thing. Something that will come out wrong."

"I tend to be pretty good at knowing what you're getting at."

"Yeah, I think you're the first person I've met that I just... talk to. I don't know why."

"Well, the whole reason I used to talk to you so often through e-mails was because I didn't want to just be in your face if you were dealing with something."

"... Wow. How did I not see that. You did just stop that suddenly and start talking to me. Ugh, I just focus on work, I guess."

"You do a lot of work, good work, you focus very well. I mean it when I say you're valuable. Being careful about that kind of thing is a small price to pay for someone who delivers consistently."

"It's a little late but I appreciate it. I think I'd have gotten to this point eventually but every job before this was just being a worker drone."

"I hate that kind of thing. It feels like you can't breathe."

"Yeah it's... Casual or something with how you run things."

"That's the idea, we do get times where we need to buckle down but if I don't need to pressure anyone then what's the point?"

"I have no damn idea how you got this far being that considerate."

Hanji smirked, lacing her fingers together in front of her, "Because men in the corporate sector always underestimate a woman."

"Even then, you still had to get doors opened by someone, right? Someone had to open a door?" Levi asked with his eyes lingering on her jawline.

"I hate to say that having friends helps but it does. I can't say it didn't help me but I earned it all. I never got a hand out."

"It's just impressive."

"Like I said Levi, I can be the kind of boss that I need to be. I was the kind of person I needed to be. I couldn't smile at everyone and make friends. Some people are bitter and gross and..." Hanji shook her head.

"Yeah I mean, that's basically everyone I worked for until you." Levi followed up quickly. "Did you have to get ruthless or something?"

"No, he dug his own grave."

"The scary thing is you could be talking literally."

"I'm not- don't pretend you think I'd do that."

"No, you wouldn't but people surprise you. So what happened?"

"I just let him record all the evidence I needed to file an ironclad sexual harassment complaint. He was a creep and he was stupid, I just had to sit and put up with it for a while."

"Well, fuck him. Glad he got what he deserved. You definitely deserve to be here, more than a guy like that ever will be."

"Mm, he rattled off a ton of threats once he knew I had him dead to rights which is a really stupid choice. I mean, I kind of never developed a sense of fear." Hanji said calmly.

Levi smirked, cocking his head, "That could be dangerous but... I admire the determination."

"Mm, I laughed for about a week once they demoted him out of the department. He tried it on someone else and she reported it and they just terminated him entirely. Company was taking heavy PR flak at the time and they weren't looking for any more difficulties."

"Good for you, I wouldn't want to work with that guy at any level."

"That place was a sinking ship, I took my shares and got out before people realized they were going to capsize. Sold what I had and a couple of investments paid off and, well, fell into a market that was open around here."

"Glad it worked out. You certainly never seem like you dislike your job."

"There are some frustrations but I've come this far, I'm not going to let small things get to me."

"Gotta say this is a lot more interesting than anything I would've seen eating at home."

Hanji smirked, glancing out at the darkened sky, "We've been here longer than I thought."

Levi nodded, some part of him wishing she hadn't noticed- a large part of him, actually. "Yeah, well, I liked it."

"Me too. I do have a cat that is probably about to start shredding all my upholstery if I don't feed him soon so I don't want to rush off or anything..."

"Nah, I get it. Cat needs food, plus you probably have some other stuff to do, tell your partner you had dinner or whatever."

Hanji almost quirked a brow, "All I have is a cat, I've rarely had time to even flirt with anyone."

Levi felt a degree of weight lift off of him despite the entire fact that this couldn't work, "Well, you have a cat to tell about dinner. I'm sure he's the jealous type."

"Not really, if you give him a treat he's basically stuck to you. You could probably steal him away just by feeding him and he wouldn't look back."

Levi moved to stand, as much as he didn't want to, and pulled out his wallet. Hanji slipped out of her seat and stood, stretching her limbs with a light rumble. Levi couldn't help but watch her extend and flex like that. Having a hot boss kind of... sucked. He had the nerve in him, in the moment, to ask her out to a proper dinner but that would just complicate things. He couldn't trust himself to say anything in a way that would come of seductive or charming. He blinked, realizing she was staring at him. He shook his head and pulled a number of singles from his wallet and put them on the table. Hanji shrugged and began to walk out. Levi followed and watched her move in a way that seemed entirely new- she was swaying in a way that enticed him but he was fairly certain she was just relaxed and not in her more business-like set of mind. He followed her to her car and crossed his arms, letting her slip into the car.

"Thanks for getting the tip, by the way." Hanji said, adjusting her seat belt.

"I mean... Dinner was free so... Seems like a dick move if I didn't." Levi replied in a plain tone.

"It would have been. I knew you would. Which is why I didn't bring anything in with me."

"... So you knew you weren't going to have to pay."

"He never lets me, I just put up a bit of an effort to not take it for granted."

"What if I didn't have anything in my wallet?"

"You'd have gone out to your car or just put it on the receipt."

"You make a lot of assumptions."

Hanji grinned as she started her car, rolling the window down as she closed the door, "I got this far by trusting my instincts, I haven't been wrong. Well... There is one thing but, point stands, I have a damn reliable intuition."

Well, Levi couldn't argue with that, educated guesses were the smarted ones and she clearly had some kind of perception of things that was uncanny, "I can't argue with it, it hired me."

"Levi, get home safe, okay? I'll see you tomorrow- Friday! Then you'll be at my place Saturday morning and we'll hack up a ton of wood."

"Just... Not even going to pretend I'd decline, huh?"

"Intuition." she said, pitching the car into reverse, pulling out and into the parking lot with a grin and a wave.

Levi knit his brows as he watched her wait for traffic to let her turn out of the parking lot. Well, he was apparently chopping wood Saturday which was honestly more than he had planned anyway. He lightly considered quitting just long enough to ask her out on a date but that was just a dumb, stray through. It certainly would simplify things if he weren't her employee. She was funny, didn't care what other people thought, she was openly warm and so good looking. Most importantly she just felt... Nice to be around? Which was more than Levi could say for any living being he was aware of. The fact it was so easy to talk to her was still such an odd thing to him but maybe she'd rub off on him enough that he might manage to get rid of some of that. The fact that his attraction was only growing was... perplexing. Frustration. Complicating. Well, maybe the time spent together that night would make it easier to keep his cool around her when she would inevitably lean over his shoulder in the future. He really couldn't do anything now, he would just have to deal with it as it came and the wait was the worst part.

Tomorrow was another day, as for tonight? A drink and a damn good shower were in store.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so... I'm not going to say this is 'good' because this sprang up so much out of this stream-of-consciousness banter between the both of them on the page and I actually had to go back and break it up and fit things around it so it wasn't just one long conversation. This started out with more indecent intent but this AU is one I like so I ended up getting distracted in setting it up. I feel like the banter is WAY heavy, like problematic levels. I suck at writing dialogue in the technical sense- formatting it. Hopefully it remains easy to follow who is who. Also this is a first pass as with everything I write because I don't have time for rough drafts.
> 
> Trivia: The alternate title for this chapter was Strawberry.
> 
> As ever, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. Remember to tell your family you love them, you never know just how quickly you may lose them.


	3. An Open Book

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chopping wood is laborious but if you have good company it tends to go by quicker. If that company happens to be the woman you've been fantasizing about since not long after you met her...  
> And what about when she can read you as easily as a book, how easily does one let the grip on their principles slip in the face of something they've wanted so long and both parties are well aware?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was going to be a larger chapter but I split it just because I felt like some people might prefer to skip the next chapter if it doesn't suit their tastes. Included here is a shit-ton of banter and a confrontation between Levi and Hanji about desires in the face of workplace relationships risking getting quite awkward. Levi loves working for Hanji and he doesn't want to go and screw that up by bringing sex into things.

Levi had not found the sleep he had hoped for the night previous. He had found himself staring at the ceiling, in bed, unable to sleep because his thoughts kept going back to earlier that evening. He could not place why his boss was so disarming, why it was so easy to talk to her when he barely talked to anyone at all. Why there was an ease around her that let him make his jabs back at her- maybe that was just because she had a since of humor. Maybe all of it was just charm, maybe it was the entire reason someone with morals made it so far in a cutthroat business atmosphere. He couldn't deny that she drew his eyes, he couldn't say he had a hard time looking at her but that way she could 'read' him, from that first interview?

How much of that was her bullshitting and how much of her just had him pegged from the start? He didn't really consider himself easy to scrutinize, he kept to himself, he didn't really stick out unless it was the resting grumpface people seemed to take to assume he was unhappy with them. That was a conversation he'd had too often. Turning it over in his head eventually had led him to sleep but he felt like he hadn't slept too soundly. The commute and clocking in were just the same as they ever were and he had taken a seat at his desk to begin looking into a list of clients that he had been handling the day previous. His job wasn't fun but he didn't hate it, having cold logic helped and he could smell a lie in most people's voices. Perhaps his tone did some of the work for him- not one he would call pleasant but definitely one that seemed to be all about the business.

It had been roughly an hour into the day with a headset on and a conversation in which he repeatedly ended up explaining that he had no say in particulars. He was closing he eyes just to try and keep himself calm as he repeated the circular conversation over details that didn't even matter but, well, he was trying to lock this one in. Something faint tingled in his nose, a scent that had a spice to it and by the time the connection was made in his brain he could feel Hanji leaning over his shoulder. His pulse rose, his eyes opened, and he honestly couldn't decipher the words being spoken into his ear from the headset. He could only watch as that distinct profile of her face emerged and she read his notes. Auburn hair brushed his cheek as a hand came to rest on his shoulder.

If she could read him then she surely knew she was assassinating this deal by being this close to him- where he could smell the shampoo in her hair. Why the hell was her nose so attractive? It was nothing he had ever looked at in a factor of attraction but every since he had realized his attraction to her it was like he was seeing that damn FedEx arrow. He was unable to to avoid seeing them as a part of attraction now. Her perfume was nothing cloying but somehow he still felt a bit short of breath- wait, was he breathing or had he just stopped the moment he realized she was there? Did he need to breathe? Shouldn't that be a question that no one asked themselves? The voice in his ear faded back into coherent words and he blinked. He took a deep breath which was both necessary and just making the situation worse.

"Sorry, sir. Can you repeat that? I believe there might have been some interference for a moment." Levi said, his eyes on Hanji's jaw, her face, her nose.

The voice in his ear began to pick back up as Hanji turned enough to peer at him through her glasses. She smiled in a way that pierced him clean through his core and gave him a thumbs-up as she leaned away. Of course as she moved his eyes followed, leaning back in his chair as she moved away. He quickly realized she wasn't casual today, she must have had a more 'official' sort of meeting today by the smart business attire she wore.

As she moved along his eyes drank her in and halted when he realized she wasn't wearing slacks today but a skirt and dark hosiery with high heels. That was a rare sight but one he was burning into his memory. Her athletic legs moved in a vaguely hypnotic way before the voice in his ear called out at him. Levi snapped back into the moment and quickly terminated the call. A beat. He then immediately had the number dialed and began a small flurry of apologies as it seemed the 'construction on the upper floor' must have had something to do with it. He walked their tone back to something less hostile and continued to try and do his job with the lingering scent of her in the air.

The day melted into the same pattern as usual and he went through the same conversations with other individuals while occasionally updating someone on the progress of their work. He had taken his lunch an hour late just to get outside and breathe. Did she even know that she could stop his heart if she had sauntered up to him in that attire with that mischievous look on her face that she wore too often? This felt... Dumb. He felt like he was in his teenage years again but with considerably less angst but the same sort of confusion over just how things should work in a situation like this.

Obviously, he had to find a way to tuck those feelings away or he'd have to find another place to work... But there was no way he'd find a boss as pleasant as Hanji. It kind of made him want to tear his hair out. He didn't even go eat, he had simply taken a seat on a bench out in front of the building and just blankly gazed at concrete under his shoes. However he sliced it, it was a problem. He really liked working for her, he liked her compassion and how involved she got in the morale of everyone working for her. Another thought rose from the depths of his mind only to be sunk with his name being called.

" _Leeeeeviiiii-!_ " came Hanji's voice as she excitedly made her way to him, grinning almost too wide as she fell in to sit right next to him. "I nailed it."

Levi collected himself and turned to look at her, "I... Well, I don't know what you're talking about exactly but I'm not surprised at all."

"The meeting!"

"No, I know you had a meeting, I just don't know what it was about."

"Huh? I didn't tell you anything about there being a meeting."

"You only ever wear that kind of outfit when you have to meet with people from other companies."

"That's not true. I wear it other times."

"Name one."

"Christmas parties."

Well, she had him there. He hadn't been to one to confirm or deny that. "You say that but there isn't any proof."

"Well I don't wear an ugly sweater and pajama pants." Hanji scoffed.

"I hear you telling me that but I can absolutely see that happening."

"I mean I have some very ugly sweaters, like... Sweaters that were designed by some eldritch holiday monster..."

"Please, never wear them."

"I don't but you know how you sometimes see something you can't believe is A Thing and you have to get it just to show people it was something being sold?"

"Not... really?"

"Okay well pretend you do."

"Got it."

"Ooh! I'm so happy, it could not have gone better."

"It sounds like it."

"How did you sleep, anyway?"

"Not as good as I should have with a meal like that in my stomach."

"Mm, something bothering you?" Hanji asked with genuine concern lightly affecting her tone.

"Not really, just couldn't get my eyes to stay shut." Levi half-lied.

"Well, you do you. I slept super good. My cat didn't even climb on my face in the middle of the night."

"That's a win for you?"

"That's a win for me."

"I'll just catch up on sleep tonight."

"You always look like you're about a year behind on sleep, no offense." Hanji prodded.

Levi shook his head, "I think I just got tired of a lot of the bullshit in my life up until I was in my mid-twenties."

"Mm. I'm never going to pry but if you ever feel like talking about it or something and we're not busy... There's HR."

"... That's not HR."

"Yeah, I think I'm too excited to make a good joke."

"You are kind of, uh, bright."

"You sure don't seem as excited as you should be."

"For...?"

"Chopping wood tomorrow, you doof!" Hanji said, nudging him with her elbow.

Levi blinked. That's right. "Oh... Wow, I totally forgot."

"Not excited about being personally invited to a woman's home?"

"Not for manual labor."

"Oh, hush, you'll enjoy it. I have a nice backyard and it's supposed to be pretty cool tomorrow."

"I can't say I've ever looked forward to chopping wood."

"Well, now's your chance!"

"... Still not feeling it."

"Oh, come on. We'll be off the clock and we can just chat like last night. You can meet my cat."

"Eh..."

"Oh, shut up. You had fun yesterday."

"I won the milkshake war."

"It was a Pyrrhic victory."

"I don't think that's really the word to- wait, what time is it?"

"Two-fifteen." Hanji replied far too quick.

Levi blinked at her, giving her a skeptical look.

Hanji rolled her eyes, "There's a clock-tower on the bank across the street."

Levi looked to his left and confirmed the time. "Shit, I need to get back to work."

Levi stood, smoothing out his slacks and looked to her. It was a mistake, somewhere he knew it was a terrible idea. Seeing her knees crossed in sheer nylon, the grin on her face. Well, he'd just think about that sight later. Hanji wasn't far behind him but thankfully he had work waiting at his desk that he could quickly dive into to try and push that sight out of his mind for the time being. He had a brief pang of regret- he hadn't even congratulated her on the whole meeting thing. She was so happy about it, too. He'd just have to tell her later.

Time passed a bit slower than he liked but it always felt that way when you checked the clock often. Some days could fly by but the look Hanji had going today had just made it hard to let the time blend together. Upon reaching the end of the workday he gathered his things and signed out of the program on his computer. He stood up and nearly walked right into Hanji. How had she gotten that close without him even noticing? Levi blinked and gave her a once over.

"Oh, hey I forgot to say congratulations on the meeting and everything. Sounded like a big deal." Levi said, draping his jacket off his shoulder.

Hanji smirked, "... Did you feel bad for not saying that earlier?"

"Um... Yeah, actually. Do I want to know how you knew that?"

"It was written on your face. You had this strange apologetic look going on."

"That... Doesn't sound like me."

"Yeah, it was a little weird."

"... You're a little weird, you know that?"

"I'm very weird, actually."

"Really selling me on that visit, right now." Levi muttered.

Hanji cocked her head, "You'll be there."

"You sound pretty sure of that."

"You said you would, Levi. You're not the type of guy who flakes on that kind of thing."

"You... I guess that's right."

"It is. I can see it in you."

"You'll have to teach me that kind of perception."

"Ah, but then you'd grow mad with power."

"Yeah, that's me. Wasting my energy on making my life complicated."

"I'll see you tomorrow, Levi. Remember, early. We can get most of it done before the end of the afternoon."

"You seem eager to be rid of me when you dragged me into dinner just yesterday." Levi said.

Hanji sighed and her shoulders sank, "Because my feet are killing me, I hate these damn heels and I want to strangle the asshole who made them part of the whole business look for women."

"Yeah, I can't imagine. You want me to carry you to your car?"

"God, if only you were serious."

"Yeah, I... We'd get some looks. Plus you'd be like... hanging over my shoulder and everything."

"You could carry me in a different way than just over your shoulder like a caveman."

"It was just the first thing that came to mind. We'd still get weird looks."

"Yeah, plus I wouldn't let you carry me unless I got to piggyback- OH I could also sit on your shoulders!"

"... The amount of excitement in your voice is kind of scary right now."

"Get used to it, Ackerman. I get all kinds of scary." Hanji quickly replied.

Levi furrowed his brows, "Saying that is even more scary than the excitement you had."

"I told you I get all kinds of scary!" she called out louder than one probably should.

He took a half-step back, "I should quit while I'm ahead."

"Yeah, otherwise we're just going to go back and forth like this for a half an hour and I will actually need to be carried by then."

"All right, well... I'll see you tomorrow. Uh... just knock?"

"Just walk around back, I'll leave the gate open, we'll knock it out in record time."

"Okay well... Don't go strangling anyone over your heels."

"No promises."

"Worth a shot."

* * *

The next morning was an early one- not that Levi had any issue with it, he was up early to get his work-out and shower in as it was, he'd just skip it for today. He hadn't ever chopped wood but the principle was pretty simple, he thought. He made his tea and transferred it to his thermos before screwing it shut, getting dressed and heading out the door. The trip wasn't that far but he was sure this day was going to last forever. Still, at least she was going to be there and she made work something he liked to be a part of, just to be around her. Like this? He'd have her attention almost exclusively.

That was more important to him than he really noticed before. A mundane drive to that same home had him walking around the side of the house to find the gate, open. He paused mid-stride and knit his brows. It was just nerves, he told himself. He shook his head to dismiss them and continued on. He rounded the corner to come upon Hanji with an axe over her shoulder and her foot planted on a tree stump like she were advertising something. She was in a pair of jeans and a tank-top. Oh. Okay, that was what she meant. It was clear she didn't slouch with some kind of upper-body workout. Her arms were sculpted, not just athletic. There was more than just tone there. Well, at least she wouldn't have trouble with the axe?

"Good morning, Levi. Welcome to Splitsville." Hanji announced with a grin.

Levi narrowed his eyes, "I bet you've been waiting to say that all day."

"A couple of days, actually, I came up with it in the car on the way home from the diner."

"You're awfully proud of it for it being terrible and all of that."

"It's better than you're saying it is."

"No, it's not."

"Levi. _Splitsville_. Splitting wood? Look, damn you, I have an axe right here-"

"It was funny, fine! Do you just go from zero to sixty like that with everyone you invite over for manual labor?"

"You're the only one who hasn't laughed at the joke I came up with for them."

"You're an animal."

"More than you'll ever know."

"Hopefully."

"So, you going to share the wealth or do I just get to skip the trip inside for a mug?"

"Knock yourself out."

"All right. Back in a sec, take this. This is your instrument of timber destruction today."

Hanji moved to the french doors and slipped inside after handing off the axe to Levi. He looked at it carefully and then place the axe down, unscrewing the thermos. Hanji returned with two mugs, smirking as she approached him. He had worn simple attire, just some old slacks he had worn when painting his apartment and a t-shirt. Hanji looked him over and then held out her mug expectantly. Levi poured the tea into the mug carefully but he could immediately see what was coming.

"This isn't coffee." Hanji stated.

Levi nodded curtly. "Black tea."

"Oh well, you forget your mug or something?"

"I was just going to drink from the thermos."

"What are you, an _animal_?"

"It's not like anyone else uses it."

"Listen, here we use mugs. Now take this and pour yourself some tea."

"If you insist, I guess."

They spent a the better part of half an hour with the tea which Hanji had apparently never had and he couldn't really tell if she would ever want it again. Maybe it was just new to her. Still, conversation went on about sleep or lack-thereof as well as a rabbit hole wherein Levi ended up going on about why he avoided specific brands of black tea. It was a nice enough way to start the day, he certainly found himself preferring it to just drinking it at home or at his desk. Hanji seemed as cheery as ever, her attitude having that infectious touch it did in the workplace. Did she even know how hard it was to be his dour self around her? It was almost maddening.

"So, we'll get started in a minute, I stacked up some lumber already."

"Are you just going to chop wood like you're doing karate?"

"Not today, I figured I didn't need to show off any further with these guns out."

"... So, where's your other axe?"

"I'm not a maniac, I don't have two axes. Why would I have _two_ axes?"

"Call me crazy but you didn't exactly send me by the hardware store to grab one."

"Okay, Crazy. No I have a split-maul."

"A what?"

"I- I'll just go get it. It's pretty self-explanatory."

"All right?"

Hanji took a brief trip to a shed to one side of the yard and returned with what was, quite honestly, a big steel wedge on a steel pole with a rubber grip. Yeah, okay, he understood that, pointy end to the wood and everything. "Any questions?"

"No, it's... Pretty self-explanatory."

The hacking of lumber began in earnest and progressed rather smoothly. Levi ended up getting a little frustrated with his axe wedging into the wood instead of cleanly splitting it a few times but otherwise it was pretty routine stuff. It was better than working out at home and even if she was telling her third story he couldn't follow he was still enjoying just being there with her. It had gone quicker than he honestly expected, he had spent almost as much time carrying fresh logs over and piling them up as he had splitting them while Hanji had been stacking them up along the back wall of her home. It was somewhere past noon when Levi finally had to give in and just pull his shirt off, it was just going to be a gross clingy, sweaty thing if he kept it on. Peeling it off, however, had seemed to stop the rhythm of wooden cracks from Hanji's maul. He turned to look at her as he fully shed the item and she look at him in a way he wouldn't call comfortable.

"I knew you were big, you know, with your shoulders and stuff and sometimes when you bent your arms..." Hanji said, trailing off.

Levi raised an eyebrow, "What's the deal?"

"I just didn't know you owned an entire gym."

"... I just work out every day."

"Working out every day doesn't do that."

"No, honestly, I just work out in the morning before I shower."

"How early do you get up? How many hours do you run uphill with logs on your shoulders?"

"It's just about an hour a day..."

"Honestly, it's like you don't have any fat on you at all."

"Why did this turn into muscle-talk?"

"It's just fascinating. Are you sure you don't moonlight as a super hero or something? You do come in looking pretty tired."

"You and I both know I just have resting... Grouch-face."

"But now I'm connecting some dots." Hanji said, rubbing her chin slowly.

Levi sighed, "There are no dots."

"I don't know, I've never seen you or Superman in the same place..."

"I'm going to start chopping wood again."

"Even your name... Acker _Man_... I'm onto you... I'll keep your secret- for now."

"I'm starting to understand the plight of your parents, I think."

"What's that mean?"

"Just that you never turn off."

"Oh, that? Yeah, I'm always fun."

"Annoying."

"Annoyingly fun." she corrected.

Levi rolled his eyes, "Oh my god would you just stop looking at me and chop wood?"

"I have my eyes on you Levi Acker- _Man_."

"I'm going to ask for twice as much money if you keep this up."

"That would be all of it."

"Three times as much."

"Levi-"

"Four times."

"Fine! I'll chop some dumb wood because you're no fun."

"No fun allowed. That's my super power."

"So you _are_ -"

"I hope you paid your parents back for the hazard pay of raising you."

"They've got a nice place, out near Springwood."

"That's not even an hour from here."

"So?"

"I would have though they would have moved to the moon."

Hanji snorted, "Okay, I'll stop."

" _Thank you_." Levi let out in relief.

Still, for as much as she had studied him he had not gone without stealing his gazes at her, watching the muscle ripple through her arms as she hefted and swung the split-maul down. It didn't really so so well in her work attire, she was right. Still, it was... Kind of sexy. He could ask about her exercise regimen later but for now he was content to get his glimpses of her in action. It had ended up being done before he realized it, perhaps he just had the blood pumping and wanted to keep going but the lot of it had been stacked up neatly by Hanji and she was seemingly quite impressed with herself. Levi looked to the sky. It was probably around mid-afternoon by his guess. Hanji had invited him in to cool down, provided water and some general praise for how well he had gone through it all.

"If we're done, I should probably head home. Get a shower. I... Really hate staying sweaty and gross longer than I have to." Levi stated, still cooling down.

Hanji rolled her eyes, "Levi, I didn't ask you over here just to do work and then send you home. There are towels in the guest bathroom. Take a quick shower, I don't care."

"What, are we going to argue about that super-hero bit some more?"

"Levi, come on. You know I'm being serious. I'll cook something- something easy."

"You had me worried for a second."

"Shut your mouth, you're a guest in my home."

"You knew what you were getting into when you invited me in."

"... You're right. That's on me. _Rude_... But moving on, I honestly want a shower too and then we can meet back in the kitchen when we're done, yeah?"

"It beats what I was going to have for dinner."

"I'm not a bad cook, you know. Not great but I've never burned down a house."

Levi stood up, moving toward the indicated guest room, "I'd like to see that polygraph result."

"You've got nothing on me, Ackerman, _Nothing_." Hanji called, snickering to herself before she headed upstairs.

Levi didn't like climbing back into sweaty clothes but it was better than feeling like he had a film of grime on him or something plus he... Well, he just preferred to be as clean as he could where he could. He had spent a long while just thinking about how even when he was acting like Hanji was bothering him she really wasn't. He wasn't sure how much of it was his natural reflex to try and keep people away and how much of it was engaging in the back-and-forth for fun. He didn't dislike it. It felt good to just be able to talk, not to feel like he'd say something awkward. Work was always different, he had a defined lexicon for all of that but with people it was a lot different. He had talked more with Hanji in three days than he had anyone else in what was likely six months or more.

That ease, that comfort was something no one else gave him. It was like being in the diner again, just being stuck on how weird it was to not feel weird. Sense of humor, charm, whatever it was about her just made him feel like he couldn't screw up unless he actively tried. It was a good feeling. It didn't hurt that her arms were gorgeous, they were actually more alluring than he had expected them to be when she had mentioned them the other day. Eventually, though, he had to stop the shower and actually towel off which didn't take long but it still felt a little gross to slide back into his boxers and slacks. He could deal with it. He returned to the kitchen to find Hanji already setting out things for cooking.

What immediately struck him was that she hadn't pinned up her hair like it was a nuisance. He hadn't ever seen her hair down, he didn't know it could look so pretty? He took a seat at the dining table and watched her work, listened to her hum something he hadn't ever heard but liked the sound of- because it was coming from her. She had dressed back up in a simple button-down and the kind of slacks she wore to work, feet in canvas sneakers. Still, he was drawn to watching her hair catch the light and move as she went about her cooking.

"Can I help with anything?" Levi asked, feeling a bit rude for not doing something to help.

"Just sit there, it's really not that big of a deal. Just takes a short time to get it done." Hanji replied, not bothering to look back at him.

He hadn't gotten much of a look at what she was working on but he knew the smell, "So your fancy cooking..."

"I didn't say fancy, I said easy."

"So it's-"

"You and I both know you didn't eat this morning and neither did I so... Yes."

"Eggs."

"Scrambled eggs, that scrambling is how you know I'm dedicated."

"Dedicated to scrambling eggs."

"This is free food and I think they're actually pretty dang good. I'm not an amateur, I season things."

"Salt and pepper doesn't count."

"It's more than that, shut up and let me cook this for you."

"All right. Whatever you want."

What followed was a bountiful feast of.... Scrambled eggs and nothing else. Levi was going to give her a bit of teasing about it until he tried them. He would be hard pressed to identify the seasoning but it... Pretty damn good. Good enough that he was quickly moving through the plate. By the time he had finished he looked up to find Hanji looking at him with her fork resting at her lips. She smiled at him and began to work on catching up to him. They had briefly shared a gaze but he couldn't quite read what she was thinking. Maybe she was just glad they turned out well. It didn't really matter. He had insisted on helping with the dishes and refused to let her do anything but dry them. Not long after they had finished she had invited Levi to her den. It was... really nice, actually. He felt like her couch was trying to swallow him. She sat on the far side, kicking her shoes out and bringing her feet up onto the couch with her knees toward her chest. Levi had sat... well, how he would have sat on any couch but it did leave him perpetually keeping his head turned.

"Thanks, Levi." Hanji said, utterly genuine.

Levi shook his head, "You're paying me."

"No, I mean for doing the dishes."

"It's the least I could do."

"The least you could do was sit there but you're nicer than you want people to thing."

"I don't know about that."

"I haven't cooked for anyone in a... really long time."

"It was good, you haven't lost your touch."

"I looked up that recipe last night, I was so afraid I was going to burn them..."

"Well they came out fine, right?"

"Yeah, I just thought it was nice to cook for someone."

"Oh, was that the whole smile thing?"

"Kind of. My mother used to tell me that cooking for people is a way to show you care about them."

"I don't think that's a rare point of view."

"Yeah, but... I like you, Levi. You're a good person. I know you haven't really had it the best..."

"Everyone has it rough growing up at some point. I was just making conversation, I wasn't trying to make a thing out of it this morning."

"Some people get everything they want and end up spoiled spoiled and think they have a right to everything."

"Yeah... Yeah, that's the luck of some."

"It's not _luck_ , Levi. People like that are awful. Don't you think you turned out better as a person because of all that?"

"I never really think much about it. Easier to forget it."

"Well, don't think you're not a kind person. Growing up wasn't easy on you but it made you the kind of person who refused to let me do anything but dry dishes when I invited you over so early on a weekend to chop wood for hours and then cook for you and it wasn't even special. It was scrambled eggs. It's the easiest thing to make. It wasn't like I worked myself to the bone to make them."

"Yeah, but you made them so I did the dishes. I only let you dry them because you wouldn't stop hovering."

"You don't see that as kindness?"

"Like I said, you were hovering."

"And _you_ don't like admitting that you're not a scary guy even though you look like you street fight for a living."

Hanji shrugged and wrapped her arms around her knees as she peered over them at Levi. He could feel her stare but he wasn't sure what to think about it, he turned to look at her and met her gaze. She looked at him in a way that felt like she could see through him. Something in her eyes, like when she had interviewed him for the job. Levi knit his brows and shifted in his eat. Did she know how gorgeous her hair was when she wore it down? Was that something he missed at the Christmas party? Did she know how her glasses magnified the size of her eyes just enough to make them impossible not to notice without looking off? Did she even want someone around in the way his imagination was running? Ways he felt uncomfortable about with that gaze on him, it felt like she could see everything he was thinking- she couldn't or she might've kicked him out by his reasoning.

"I should probably get going. Thanks for the food, it was good." Levi said, moving to stand.

Hanji smirked, "You seem awfully eager to go home and do nothing instead of doing nothing here."

"I have things to do-"

"Name one."

"I have to wash out my thermos." he quickly replied.

Hanji shook her head, "Levi... You told me you feel comfortable around me, like you can talk to me. So why are you clamming up now?"

"I'm not, I just... I mean, I should get out of your hair and let you do your stuff."

"You're not acting like you were this morning."

"Just tired, you know?"

"I know something is off."

"Yeah but can you just turn off the thing you do where you 'know' things about me without me telling you?"

"Not really."

"I just need to go. It's nothing major I just like to have time to myself." That was a lie and both of them knew it.

Hanji inclined her head, "You're getting jumpy. Why are you on edge?"

"Probably just adrenaline and all of that." Levi offered, shrugging.

"So you just want to leave? We could watch some terrible movies or something."

"I should probably just get to bed early, you know?"

"You're really, really bad at this."

"Talking? Yeah, I know."

"No, lying."

"I'm not lying-"

"That's a lie."

Levi stood up, looking over to her. He could feel a weight on him "How do you know?"

"Because I can't turn it off." she said simply.

"Okay, but I just want to go, all right? It's nothing about you, Hanji. I just want some time alone."

"As opposed to all the time you don't spend alone?"

"I have a battery, you know? Social battery? I'm just drained."

Hanji let her legs unfold and curled her arms loosely about herself, "I get that."

"Just... Let me recharge." Levi spoke, moving to pick his thermos up from the table.

"All right, Levi. Thank you, though. I had fun today. It would have been miserable by myself."

"It's fine, you're paying me. If you need any more help you can get in touch with me."

Hanji chuckled quietly and nodded, moving to her feet, "Yeah, I have your number."

Levi began to move toward the door, giving her a semblance of a smile, "Call me when I get home or something?"

Hanji followed only a few paces behind "I can see you out. Maybe I'll call you, though."

"Works for me." Levi said, relief finally coming to him as he neared the door.

"You really are into me, aren't you?" Hanji said from just behind Levi.

Levi balked, taking a moment to process it. "Wait, _what_?"

"You like me."

"What makes you say that?"

"A lot of things but... don't bother denying it, Levi. You know I can tell."

"You just think you can-"

"Tell me I'm wrong, tell me you don't feel something."

"Why do I need to say anything?"

Hanji took a step closer, "Because I can read you, I know you."

"... I wish you couldn't." Levi said, actually not sure how he felt about it.

"Levi? You're a fascinating book, honestly. I love reading, too."

"I guess. I just- things would be easier if I could hide it."

"I wouldn't have hired you if I felt you were hiding some part of yourself."

"I was hiding everything about my past."

"Not hiding it well enough for me to get a good idea of why you probably don't like people."

"I don't like some people."

"You like _me_." Hanji said pointedly.

Levi turned and regarded her. "Yeah, you're the best boss I've ever had."

"Stop running away."

"Runni- I just want to go, okay?"

"I'm not going to keep you here. I overstepped my bounds. I'm sorry."

"It's fine I just- I wish that I wasn't some kind of open book to you."

"But then I wouldn't know you're into me." she said, taking a step closer.

"That's the point. Wouldn't make work so weird." he replied.

Hanji snorted, "I'm pretty weird at work anyway."

"I can't say you're wrong."

"But can you say you like being around me?"

"I do, I mean... The other night I talked to you more than I've talked to anyone in forever."

Hanji smiled, "It was cute."

"It was... I don't know, it just felt- I'm not good at socializing." Levi confided with knit brows.

"I'm aware."

"Okay, you don't have to tease me over it."

"I'm just trying to keep the mood light."

"Point is, yes... I really enjoyed dinner and today has been nice."

"Just nice? What are you- Levi, we're both adults."

"I just don't want things to change and get fucked up."

"Why would they change?"

"Because... I mean, it's obvious."

"Why would it have to change? I can keep business and my private life separate."

"HR would throw a fit."

"Who would tell them? You can barely even admit that you like me."

"I'm just saying that I really, really like working for you. You've been- you are the nicest person I've ever worked for and I just don't want to end up in a place where I feel like I should be working somewhere else."

"You're already debating that." Hanji stated matter-of-factually

Levi couldn't say she was wrong... "It's been an incredible job for me."

"Are you afraid we will end up getting all mad at each other and then work will be tense and awkward?"

"That's what I've been saying."

"Then we won't get mad."

"I... I'm kind of a work in progress."

"And I think you're incredibly interesting."

"How would it even work?"

"Do I need to tell you how dating works?"

Levi just about threw his hands up. "You can be so _frustrating_! Fuck, I can't get mad at you."

"I know." she said impishly, reaching out placing her hand on his chest.

"Do you have _any idea_ what it's like for me when you come and look over my shoulder?" Levi asked, staring into her eyes.

She seemed a bit taken aback, "Hm? What about it?"

Levi softened his gaze, "When you lean in and I can feel the heat coming off your skin, I can _smell_ the damn shampoo you use. I can barely think straight."

Hanji smiled a bit. "Why do you think I do it? It's fun. I like how you respond. Levi- I'm not exactly sexy. Guys don't look at my not-curves and try and give me their number."

"Bullshit, you're-"

"-Sexy?"

Levi took a deep breath. "Yeah."

Hanji beamed, a heat rising in her skin, "You really think so..."

"You could tell if I was lying."

"Heh. It's... Nice to hear it though."

"I'm still not sure why you don't hear it more." Levi said, feeling his heartbeat picking up.

"Because I'm eccentric or weird or I never shut up or my ass is flat or I have no breasts-" Hanji rattled off.

Levi quickly shot back, "You do _not_ have a flat ass."

"Not entirely but I also don't exactly have a lot of _decolletage_." Hanji indicated, pointing toward her chest.

Levi, instinctively, looked to the gesture. Well, he liked what he had seen. "Why does that matter?"

"Because guys like tits, I guess."

"Men kind of suck as a whole." Levi stated, keenly aware of just how far away he was from where he wanted to be.

Hanji nodded, "Tell me about it."

"You're literally the most confident person I have ever met. You clearly don't care what other people think." he said, his tone earnest.

She smirked, "I'm not looking for _approval_ Levi. It's just nice to hear it. Especially when I know you mean it."

The hand on Levi's chest was slowly moving upward and the pangs of anxiety in his abdomen were just short of unbearable now. He was on the verge of letting himself do something stupid and he knew it. He was closer to it with every word she said, every inch her hand moved. He had been holding on to common sense like buoy in a storm at sea. Honestly, he... Really didn't need for this to happen. He needed to be in a place where he could think clearly and being close to Hanji always fuzzed up his brain in a way he didn't mind until now.

"I- I don't want things to change, Hanji. I mean, you're- I said it all already. Finding a boss you don't absolutely hate is almost impossible. I don't want... If we stay friends then I _can't_ screw it up. Not like I could screw it up if-"

Levi suddenly found himself pushed to the wall behind him and Hanji swiftly pressed into him. One hand slid up the back of his head and into his hair as he just stared at her. Why did it feel so amazing to have her fingers slipping through his hair? Her lips came in within an instant and he found himself being kissed roughly. He moved his hands but the will to fight it all was rapidly being drained through the mouth against his own. Those hands came to rest on her hips. Hanji's fingers tightened in his hair and she broke the kiss, pulling his head aside just to seize his neck with those same lips. He exhaled raggedly as he felt her teeth sinking into his skin. Her hot breath on his flesh. This was why he had tried to leave. He couldn't trust himself to try and fight this once he had this kind of contact with her. Her lips began to kiss their way up his neck as she sucked at the skin along the way. Hanji's free hand ran up between their bodies and over the muscle of his abdomen. She shivered lightly and he let his eyes drift shut. Her lips broke off and she panted softly in his ear.

"I can't believe how _amazing_ your body is..." Hanji whispered.

Levi swallowed, his skin on fire. "It's mutual."

"Levi... I've had this in my thoughts for _months_. That night after we ate dinner, do you know what I did?" she asked but gave no room to reply. "I got in the shower, took the shower-head off the cradle and I set it to 'pulsate'-" she huffed.

Levi was already picturing it, his mouth dry. "Yeah?"

"And I let it _finish_ the _work_ you started just by sitting there and being fun and looking at me like you do."

"Work?"

"Do I really need to explain that I got myself off in the shower because I was fighting to keep my thighs from rubbing together in the car?"

"No, but it's nice to hear it."

"Yeah? Well, I was so wet when I got home I dropped everything. I nearly tore my clothes off just to get into the shower and I came my _fucking_ brains out thinking about you. How nice is that to hear?"

" _Fuck._ " Levi shuddered, his cock stirring. He didn't know this side of her was there but he really, really liked it. "Nice."

"Yeah, I thought about if we _fucked_ , how I wanted to mount your hips and _ride_ you until I couldn't move anymore." she said, holding him to the wall.

Levi broke eye-contact for a moment. "I didn't jerk off but... I couldn't stop thinking about you."

"There was no meeting, Levi."

"What?"

"Yesterday. I wanted an excuse to wear something that would get your attention. I wanted you to _look at me_."

"Mission accomplished."

"Yeah. Do you honestly think I never noticed you looking at me when I actually wore a skirt and some nylons? You like those, I know you do. The way your eyes go right for them..." Hanji whispered, her tone husky.

Levi frowned, that voice was a weapon made to slay him, it felt. "I wasn't _that_ obvious."

"You didn't _think_ you were but I could feel it." she whispered, moving her lips to brush them along his jaw, groaning pleasantly as she played with his hair. "I just wanted an excuse to show off for you."

"I don't think anyone would really question you..."

"Maybe not, but I think you would've noticed something." Hanji spoke with certainty.

His hands slowly ran up along her sides but he couldn't remember willing them to do so. "I can't really think when you're around."

"I don't exactly think easier around you."

"But you _choose_ to come to my desk."

"Because I love the way you smell, because I could see the muscle under that shirt, because I wanted feel it for _myself_."

It dawned on him, then. "You didn't need me to chop wood."

"I told you that you notice when things are off."

"You just-"

"Wanted an excuse to see you without a shirt."

"Did you hire me just because of how I looked?"

"Absolutely not.. When I told you, all the times I did, that you are such a good asset to me? I wasn't kidding. You're good at your job and you're absolutely _gorgeous_." She was being honest.

Levi decided that with all the praise and open admiration that he should at least say something, "I never once looked at you and thought any part of you was lacking."

"Mm. You like me just like I am?"

"I think every part of you is sexy, I like your chest. I think your nose is-"

"Kind of big, right?"

"I was going to say cute."

Hanji beamed and pressed herself against him harder. "I've never heard someone say that about my nose!"

"You have now." Levi muttered.

Hanji let her hand drop and grab Levi's pants by the waist, "You said you didn't get off the other night but have you thought about me before?"

Levi felt himself swelling in anticipation, looking into those beautiful brown eyes. "Yeah. A... lot."

"What do you think about?"

"All kinds of things."

"Well pick one."

"You jerking me off while leaning over my shoulder at work."

Hanji chuckled and kissed Levi's chin, "Oh, I like that. Just hiding it from everyone and making you _come for me_?"

Levi was caught off guard by how blatant her choice of words was. "I honestly never though about anything else around it, just the way you lean over my shoulder and how easily you could reach down and get it out and-"

" _Stroke. You. Off._ " she spoke, every word a lurid beat of the heart in his chest.

Levi exhaled a heavy breath, "Yeah..."

"It would be messy." Hanji chuckled.

Levi inhaled her scent, "It would be worth it."

"Why would I do it at your desk when I could just tell you to come into my office and jerk you off casually?"

"I've... I mean I have considered it."

" _Tell_ me."

"Just... kind of jerking me off, slow and... I don't know, doing that look you get when you're excited for something."

"Excited to see you _come?_ "

"Yeah."

"Mm. I can feel you against my leg... I _could_ just jerk you off right here."

He almost saw stars, "... You could."

"Do you want that?"

"Yes."

" _Say it._ " she urged.

He could feel her rubbing against him intentionally. "I want you to jerk me off."

"Too bad... I don't have that kind of patience." Hanji said, suddenly slipping down and shucking Levi's pants down to his thighs. She'd bared him, half-rigid, in a moment. Hanji looked up at him, her hands coming to rest on his thighs. Her bright pink tongue swept her lips in a tantalizing fashion and she leaned in. Parting her lips, Hanji took the head of his cock into her mouth and sealed her lips as her tongue began a swirling motion against the head. Levi groaned and grasped at her forearms but she hollowed her cheeks and took in more of him. She took him into her mouth until her lips kissed the root of him. She drew her head back slowly, amplifying the intensity of the suction from her mouth while Levi could barely see straight. He tightened his grip on her forearms and realized just how hard he was breathing. Her mouth felt incredible, her tongue was moving in ways that made his hips twitch and all the while she just stared up at him. She was beautiful before but this sight was something even better.

"You don't- You don't have to suck my-" Levi tried to speak, finding full sentences a challenge.

Hanji pulled off of him with a wet slurp, "Don't, for _one second_ , think I'm doing anything but what I _want_. I _want_ to suck on your cock and _you're going to let me_."

"Fuck, the way you say that drives me insane."

"Yeah? Would you believe the past two guys I dated broke it off because I wouldn't let them control things?"

"I... Why would someone complain..?"

"Some guys just don't like being pushed around, pinned down, grabbed..."

"I'm not some guy."

"Oh, I know that," she said before placing a kiss at the tip of his steadily erecting cock "I have the proof right here..."

"If I'm being honest I... I _kind_ of like this."

Hanji smiled, moving the let her lips drag along the side of his cock, still gazing up at him. "Guess I'll have to manhandle you more."

"Sounds... Hot." he admitted.

"Yeah?" She kissed as his sac once "You want me to do whatever I want to you?"

"Y-yeah... I mean... Within reason."

"There's so much I could do with you, Levi. So many things I've _wanted_ to do..."

"Like?"

She nuzzled in around the base of his cock and seemed to enjoy the scent of him, "Like grabbing you by the hair and _making you eat my pussy_ at my desk."

Levi groaned, well he had actually thought of that one. "Sounds nice."

"Yeah, by the way your cock is twitching it seems like you enjoy the idea... Mm. Fuck, I'm so worked up from watching you chop wood without your shirt on. I'm probably soaking through my panties because of you."

"Ngh... Pardon me for not feeling bad about it."

Hanji rumbled with a pleasant groan "No, it's very good. _God_ , you're so fucking built, I _love_ it."

"I like your body, too." Levi uttered, his hands roaming along her arms as he gazed at her.

"You've barely seen it." Hanji teased, moving to allow her tongue to glacially begin trailing up the underside of his cock.

"I like what I've seen."

"So... my arms and my legs?"

"All of you."

"Take your shirt off." she demanded and he didn't bother hesitating.

Levi complied and felt a hand immediately roaming over his abdominal muscles. "Fuck..."

"It would be so fun to ride this cock while you sucked on my nipples and I just played with you hair..."

"Fuck. I... I love that you just talk like this and I don't have to tell you to talk dirty."

"Levi, I'm _way too fucking horny_ to bother being cute about this."

"I think about bending you over your desk..."

"Hmm? How sweet." she cooed, smooching the tip of him again as he throbbed and twitched. "I think it likes me."

"It loves you." Levi assured.

"Good... I don't give this kind of treatment to just anyone." With that, she took the head in her mouth again and dove half-way down the length of him in one go.

Levi exhaled, stress and tension leaving him as he looked at her with a loving gaze. She gave him a wink that was just a little awkward but he liked it just the same. Her tongue began it's treatment again, swirling around him in steady, unceasing circles. Levi's hips twitched and he groaned, the back of his head thumping the wall. He shut his eyes and just focused on the feeling, the sweeping, slick muscle treating him so well. She leaned in further and he felt himself at the back of her tongue which just made him shudder. Her head dipped forward and he felt the tease of the embrace of her throat for just a moment before she pulled back. His eyes snapped open and he looked down at her. She was grinning as best she could with him still in her mouth. Her tongue was sweeping around him again and he hunched a bit. "That feels so fucking good..." he whispered. She let out a low chuckle against his cock and then pulled free with a wet pop to take a quick breath. She let her lips form a kiss at the tip of him and let him rest there. He swallowed and gazed at her warmly. "This is... Honestly maybe the fifth blowjob I've ever had."

Hanji snickered and pulled back, "Oh, you poor thing."

"The second one that wasn't awkward and the first one that felt this fucking good." Levi admitted.

"Well, I take pride in my work. You know that."

"Y-yeah, I do..."

"You're behaving very well. Most guys would just be trying to fuck my mouth by now."

"The thought occurred."

"Yes, but I told you... You're perceptive, too. You know what I'd do."

"Immediately stop."

"Smart man, that's why I hired you. Do you know why I would stop?"

"Because it's uncomfortable?"

She snickered "Yes but no... Because I didn't say you could."

"You're a lot more bossy when your not actually being my boss."

Hanji's nails dragged over his abs slowly, "Mm, I like control... I value restraint... Maybe I _also_ get off a bit on having my way."

"I've barely had any kind of experience... It's all been fucking awkward or... stilted." Levi admitted.

"Mnn... That's why I'm showing you a good time. That, and I love the look on your face when I'm sucking on you."

"You look so _fucking_ good doing it..."

"I know, but the expressions you make... You're so much more expressive like this."

"It's kind of hard not to respond to it."

"Oh, I know. I expect to have trouble keeping quiet or being still when I have you eat my pussy."

"I've wanted to know what you taste like..."

"Ditto. Now I do." Hanji snorted, "I like it... I bet your _cum_ tastes wonderful..."

"I couldn't say."

"Well, I'd bet money I'm very close to finding out."

"Uh, _yeah_..."

"That's why I'm giving you breaks, Levi! I want you to enjoy it for more than just a little bit of time. I want you to feel my mouth around you and never, _ever_ forget how good it feels."

"You're well above unforgettable..."

"And you're really fucking hot. God, your body is _so fucking gorgeous_... Your eyes, keep them on mine. Mn, _god_. I'm going to ride this cock until your eyes roll back in your head."

"I can't complain about that idea."

Hanji quickly took him back in her mouth and stared out at him as she began to rapidly bob her head in shallow motions. Levi tensed, his hands snapping to her head, grasping it, trying to slow her even a bit. His fingers slipped into those chestnut tresses and he wanted to melt. So soft. She continued with the slightly slower pace. Levi couldn't help the twitching that introduced pre-cum to her mouth. She hummed with excitement and approval, nodding her head and closing her eyes. It felt so good but the pace was so quick that he could already feel his limit approaching. She just continued as he moaned deep in his throat. Then that tongue was whirling around him again as she halted her movements and he was up on the balls of his feet and curling fingers into her hair. He was trying so hard not to grasp her hair tighter. "F-f-fuck... Hanji... I- Where?"

Hanji pulled back, the head of his cock popping free of mouth before she simply allowed saliva to drizzle from her lips to the head of his cock. "I said I wanted to taste it and after that tease of your pre-cum I know I need it..." she let out in a husky tone. " _Do you want me to say it?_ "

"Yeah, please." Levi said.

"Levi.... Levi Ackerman... I want _your dick in my mouth_... I want you to _come in my mouth_ so I can _taste your fucking cum_. I want to feel you _explode in my fucking mouth_. To come _just for me_. I earned that cum, so you're going to _come in my mouth_." Hanji spoke with such a sultry tone, inflecting on all the indecent words and finishing it off by opening her mouth wide and exposing her tongue. She gazed at him with that open mouth and canted her head back in invitation. Levi shifted his hips forward and easily slipping into her open mouth before it closed around his cock. That tongue was back to swirling in steady circles around him and he tried not to curl his fingers into her hair any tighter as a shudder went through him. She suddenly shifted directions with her tongue and it felt like the air had been stolen from his lungs.

Levi clenched his jaw and groaned out something near a growl. Holy shit, just her tongue alone was doing so much to him. She was just going without pause, flawlessly moving her tongue until she suddenly moved down the length of him and he the head of his cock snugly nestled in her throat before she pulled back. Her head moved back and forth, slowing down as she looked up at him. He could feel himself nearly ready to unload in her mouth, panting harder by the moment. He stared into her eyes with no lack of gratitude for the pleasure she was giving him. Levi's hips jerked a bit and he nodded at her. In silent understanding Hanji went about a sudden assault of swift, shallow movements that shoved him over the edge. His fingers curled in her hair tightly, right into fists.

Levi's jaw fell as his body tensed. One of Hanji's hands moved from his thigh to grip the root of his cock and she drew back until just the head was within her warm, wet mouth. Her tongue swept around him and her hand rapidly stroked at him. Levi choked on a cry of pleasure and shut his eyes. Hanji's own eyes drifted shut as she felt her mouth suddenly full of warmth and then the taste of him. She groaned in delight at that taste and stroked even faster. Levi could do nothing but hiss and groan as he fought the urge to thrust and just let her have her chosen reward. He could feel each thick knot of cum rocket up his cock and burst in her mouth, he could feel it surrounding the head of his prick as she let her mouth be filled.

There was one swallow and the knowledge of what just happened made him shudder throughout. His cock twitched madly as she milked the cum from him, into her mouth. She hummed and rumbled in delight as she relished his taste and she pulled away only after she was sure he was done. Levi opened his eyes to stare at her and he found her gazing up at him. The movement in her mouth told him she was savoring him and it was one of the sexiest things he had ever seen. She finally stilled and stared for a moment before swallowing his seed and then once more a moment later for the last dregs of it. She opened her mouth as if to prove she had swallowed it and a devilish grin formed once her mouth closed.

" _Mmn_. Thank you, Levi." Hanji cooed sweetly.

Levi panted gently, "Shouldn't I be thanking you...?"

"Some women _do_ like to suck cock, you know. It's not just a one-sided thing."

"So I hear..."

"So _thank you_ for that wonderful taste... It's still _clinging_ to my throat. You really let out a thick one for me."

"Thank you, Hanji... "

She chuckled, "As much as I want to tease you about it, we both liked it. I think we'll call it even."

Levi nodded at her, gazing into those eyes, still. "You have the most beautiful eyes... I know it's kind of weird to bring it up now but I _always_ thought they were pretty, sexy even."

Hanji snickered, stroking his length slowly while still feeling up his abdomen. "Mmm, it's not weird. But I like hearing that. You- God, the _look_ when you were right there- that's what makes it worth it. You looked so fucking hot."

"I couldn't do anything but react... It felt too good."

"That's kind of the point, Levi... To feel too good to resist."

"I feel like you drained me in one go..."

"I hope not, we're not done. You're staying over tonight. Maybe tomorrow night, too. You and I are going to enjoy this." There was no room to debate those words.

"It's hard to imagine not enjoying it... Also I- your hair, I hope I didn't pull it or anything." Levi said, aware he was still clutching it a bit.

"I like it in the moment, when I know you can't help it. When you're trying to hold on to anything you can. That's when it's best. Was it everything you thought it would be?"

"A lot better. Better by a- _Just way better_."

She chuckled impishly, a rich and low sound. "Good, consider it a reward for being such a hard worker for me."

Levi panted quietly as he gazed at her. Hanji slowly stood up and shoved at Levi's shoulders to pin them to the wall- for all of the scant few inches of room there was between the two. Hanji leaned in close, moving for a kiss but she stopped. Levi looked at her quizzically and then closed the gap himself, meeting her lips passionately to which she quickly met with equal force. It lasted an indeterminable amount of time to Levi before she broke away.

"I didn't think you'd mind but I had to think about it- And then you answered the question."

"What?"

"I just sucked you off."

"Kind of fucking scummy to not kiss a woman who has just gone down on you."

"Well, some guys freak out."

"I don't mind it. I wanted to kiss you so I did, I don't give a shit about how it tastes."

Hanji smiled warmly, "Yeah? Well... The fact you didn't hesitate was very sweet."

"I, uh, well I just did it?" Levi said.

"Mmhm, now, let's move somewhere else, okay? I like my neighbors but _not_ enough to let them watch."

Hanji took Levi's pants and pulled them up, leaning in and pecking his lips. She too his wrist and pulled him with her, she led him up the stairs and right into a bedroom from some magazine of things people never get to have because of the expense involved. If you were going to really splurge? A bed was good place to start. It was actually really inviting, the bed hadn't been made and pillows were lightly disheveled but with the large nightstands to either side and what he saw to be a walk-in closet? It was just... Nice. A bathroom led off to one side, a TV sat atop a large dresser and she tugged him to the bed...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter and the next were kind of the result of a few different nights of just writing what interested me even though it didn't really feel like a chapter. I stitched and wove things together, added and revised things and hopefully there's not any bumps in the road I tried to pave through this. Of course he gave in, we knew he would. I hope that the confrontation wasn't too angsty or dramatic but I tried to make the reasons for Levi's hesitations feel real, I tried to keep Hanji from seeming too forward but I think she ended up a bit more pushy than I intended but if you want someone and know they want you, you can be forgiven for giving them a push, right? Perhaps.
> 
> As always, thank you for reading.


	4. Popping The Question

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hanji tries her best to explain one of her biggest desires to Levi, one that has her thoroughly riled up. Experimentation with someone you trust is about the safest way to go about it and, if you have had your own curiosities, maybe you might just share the taboo with someone you care for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I broke this off from the last chapter just in case pegging wasn't what you came here for. For all I know this might be what you wanted most. So, that's about all there is. Levi and Hanji and fake dick.

Levi turned to sit down but Hanji shoved him onto his back foot and he fell onto the bed. He raised his head to look at her and she simply raised a finger, wagging it slowly back and forth as she peeled her shit up and off to show her in a thin, comfortable bra and then wiggled out of her slacks to show a comfortable pair of cotton boyshorts, both items in a light gray Hanji quickly moved on Levi and crawled up onto the bed just to sit down firmly on his abdomen. He let out a quiet 'oof' and his hands moved toward her waist, his eyes upon hers. She smirked and nodded, letting him have the permission to take hold of her. Hanji leaned back onto her rump and she placed a hand on Levi's thigh, the other hand trailed down the taut, firm lines of her abdomen and over her panties. Levi followed them and found that she had not been wrong, earlier.

The gray color was notable darker between her thighs. As her fingers trailed down she shivered and let out a breathy moan, fingers brushing the hood of her clit and then down to gently trace the lips of her sex through those panties. Levi felt like his life was growing shorter just looking at this. He could see how well toned her legs were, her tight core, those nice arms. Was that volleyball? Well, whatever it was, he liked it. Hanji let her eyes drift shut and she slowly rocked her hips, trailing fingers back and forth along the lips of her. Levi felt like he'd been lost in a desert and stumbled on an oasis.

" _Fuck_ that looks good..." he muttered.

Hanji smiled almost in a dreamy fashion, not opening her eyes. "Mm, does it?"

"Fuck yes. I can fucking _smell_ you and it's driving me _insane_."

"Mm, good. I hope you lose your mind. I hope you _need_ it."

"Well beyond needing it..."

"Hn. Well, if you asked nicely..."

"You don't want me to eat your pussy?"

"I don't want you to do it without my permission- I thought you were enjoying being bossed around?"

"Y-yeah. I, uh, can I please- Will you-"

"Out with it."

"Just- _Please_ let me eat your pussy."

Hanji cackled with a thrill and she moved forward, climbing over Levi, "Mm, you sound _desperate_. Or do you just want to pay me back?"

Levi inhaled the scent of her and the world became a hazy dream, his hands at her waist jerked her hips down and planted her on his face. He groaned.

"You get a pass on _that_ one." Hanji's thighs trembled and her hands slipped into his hair, holding his head in her hands, she shifted and ground herself against his mouth through her panties, finding his tongue eager.

Levi lapped at the fabric and then just sucked at the material, mashed his mouth to her and took every bit of taste of her he could get. He groaned into her as the taste began to hit him.

Hanji gasped, let out a half-cry, then grinned broadly. "You _are_ desperate. I guess I was, too. Mm, but I don't want to do this right now so... Get a _good_ taste." Levi was already trying to get that and every bit of her made him want more up until she pulled away and moved back to sit on his chest, teasing his hair. "Levi... You're really good at just... _accepting_ me."

"Why _wouldn't_ it?" he asked, blinking as he focused on her eyes, sweeping her taste from his lips.

"I don't know, I just... The fact you _like_ this kind of treatment has me curious."

"About...?"

"Things I want to do with you."

" _Pretty_ sure we crossed that bridge"

"Well, I might be into weird stuff for all you know."

"I might be into weird stuff, too."

"No I mean... Ugh. I just want to know if you'll do something for me."

"Name it."

"No, it's not that easy, dummy. I want something particular."

"What would I _ever_ say no to?"

"Getting pegged by me." Hanji said almost sheepishly.

Levi would have done a spit take had he been drinking anything, "I- _What_?"

"You know, like a strap-on and then it goes in-"

"I _know_ what pegging is."

"From experience?"

"No..."

"Listen, I know I'm supposed to be bossy right now but... _God_ it's just all I can think about."

"Cum and pegging seem to be the big two for you."

"It's not something I always want to do but... Levi you're _so_ \- Gah, you're just _so gorgeous_ , your body... You didn't seem like you'd freak out if I asked or anything."

"No, I'm not. I've just never... Have you ever...?"

"Yeah..."

"I just wouldn't know where to begin-"

"Your ass." Hanji snorted

Levi rolled his eyes "Don't be like that right now. I want to be serious about this."

"Listen, um... How about I- I know I'm ruining the whole bossy-boss illusion right now but I- Let me do something real quick, I'll be right back."

"All right."

Hanji slid back and placed a kiss on his thigh before she ducked away into her closet. Levi was left to ponder something he'd seldom thought about, sure he'd thought about taking her ass- more than a quarter of the times he was thinking about doing things with her that was part of it. It wasn't as if he disliked the idea but it was absolutely unknown territory and, well, kind of scary in a sense. Watching it on his monitor and actually _participating_ were quite different. He understood that sexuality was fluid, gender was fluid but there was still a nagging part of him that was adhering to outdated ideas of masculinity and what was or was not something a 'guy should do'. He trusted her to be careful. He knew guys got off from it. He understood how it worked but at the same time he hadn't the slightest bit of experience. Sure, he'd seen a couple of videos... Okay well, more than that. but they tended to be a bit more 'punishment' based than he had an interest in. Honestly, though, if anyone _could_ do this the way he might want he knew it was her. She returned with a smirk and a silk bathrobe in blue, she had covered herself and he had an inkling as to why.

"So... Keep your mind open." Hanji spoke

"Yeah."

"I _can't_ believe I'm nervous about this, I was _sucking your dick_ just a few minutes ago."

"Take your time."

"Okay, then I'm going to do this."

Levi nodded.

Hanji let the robe slip off her shoulders to what had to be a calculated spot that exposed her breasts just shy of her nipples. She grinned at Levi and he couldn't look away. Slowly the let the fabric down and exposed her chest to him. Fuck. They were perfect. They were nicely shaped, sat high on her chest, they looked wonderful. They weren't big but they looked lovely on her frame. He cursed under his breath and her eyes looked him over, particular his pants which he quickly began to work his way out of with his legs, kicking them away. Like this, with his boxers barely covering him, she could at least see he was still turned on. She turned and slowly raised her knee to plant her foot on the bed. Silk slid off of her leg to unveil sheer black nylons and Levi widened his eyes. Hanji grinned in almost Cheshire fashion, she had already called him on this. She knew these were a sure thing.

"Look at _you_ getting so _hard_ all of a sudden." Hanji teased.

Levi shrugged, "I... Like your legs, I like them even _more_ in stockings."

"Mhm, but it's nice to see the actual effect it has."

"Getting me painfully hard? Welcome to _every_ time you have ever worn them at the office."

"Good. I _want_ you to get hard over me, I hope you went home and just couldn't get me out of your mind. You had to _jerk off_ thinking about me in them."

"Pretty much _exactly_ how it goes." he admitted.

"Now..." she turned and the robe was dropped and there was a blue cock in a harness right where it 'should' be.

"... I was expecting that but _somehow_ I'm surprised."

"This is actually not that big, I didn't want it to scare you."

"I appreciate you not bringing out the one as thick as your arm, yes."

"Oh, god, no I- No, not even for myself."

"Is that about the size you like?"

"This one is kind of inside me like this as it is." Hanji explained.

Levi tilted his head a moment. "Huh. Guess that makes sense."

"Levi... Do you want to _fuck my ass_?"

"Er, if... You _let_ me?"

"And if I say that if you do _this_ for me, I'll do _it_ for you?"

"A strong argument."

"Levi, I know this is _really_ weird and kind of sudden but looking at your body just _does_ something to me where I just _need_ to find out if you'd let me. I'll be sweet and gentle with you, I promise."

"I know that already. Listen, Hanji. I mean... I've never _done_ it but I've watched porn of it, I've _wondered_ about it. I know there's something to it..."

"You could have _said that_ , like, _right from the top!_ "

"Yeah I just wasn't sure where I landed on it... But I trust you."

"This would have been _substantially_ less awkward if we'd had sex first."

"Probably."

Levi sucked in a breath. What the hell, you only live once, right? He slowly turned over onto his stomach and heard Hanji yelp excitedly. She had her hands on his ass instantly, squeezing and stroking. He shifted, moving up onto his knees, pushing himself up on his hands and looking back at Hanji who had a bigger grin on her face than he thought one could have. Her expression screamed with her excitement and he starting to think about how good it would feel for her, too. If it did sort of go within her as well then movement would feel good for both of them, in theory. Hanji slipped a hand between his thighs and grasped his cock, slowly stroking it downward, evoking a pleasant rumble from him. Her heard her pull open the drawer on the nightstand and turned to look at her. She grinned and waggled a bottle of what he could only hope was lube at him. His eyes shot wide as he felt her apply it directly to him- it was pretty cold by comparison.

"I'll go slow... Fingers, you know?" Hanji explained.

Levi nodded though he wasn't certain of anything, "As long as we don't rush it."

"No, I want this to be _good for you_... I want to get you off, too, Levi..."

"I believe you, this is just-"

"New."

"Yeah."

Hanji, from Levi's perspective rather generously applied the substance to both the toy she was sporting and upon her fingers, she leaned in and kissed the small of his back. "Just... You know... Let me know if something is wrong."

"I will." Well, there was a first time for everything, he though.

"Okay, just relax, I'm going to use my finger very gently..."

* * *

Hanji had truly been patient, sweet, tender. She had lived and breathed on every sound he made it seemed, constantly looking to see if there was some kind of issue. There wasn't, it was just a sudden thing and he had just jumped into the deep end of new territory. To be fair, though, it was with the person he trusted most. She had been so patient, partially fascinated, and so gentle. As things had gone along he wasn't hating it. He'd kind of grown even more curious as time went by. He was actually getting a bit excited. Still, when the time came he had pangs of uncertainty in his stomach and he looked back at her, into her eyes. Calming, honestly.

Hanji moved closer, nodding gently toward him. She held the toy with one hand, it was practically dripping with lube. "Come here..."

Levi felt a siren song sort of appeal to her voice, it was just so easy to draw him in and he did slip back a bit as she requested. "I'm ready."

Hanji smiled, gently bringing the tip to his backside and barely containing her excitement, "This is _so hot!_ "

Levi nodded his head and closed his eyes, trying to relax. The pressure she applied wasn't much of a help but he took a deep breath, "Okay."

Hanji guided the tip and began to push gently, slowly raising the amount of weight she was leaning in on him with, constantly looking to see if there was some distress.

Levi could feel himself beginning to yield and let out a slow breath " _Fuck_."

"This is so _sexy_ , Levi, I can't _believe_ this..." she gushed.

"F-fu-fuNGH" Levi let out forcefully, feeling himself being gently pried open.

Hanji groaned a low, sultry sound from within her Chest and ran her hand slowly up along his muscled back. Her demeanor shifted "Mmn, just trust me, Levi. Just listen to me talk."

Levi swallowed hard, already finding himself down on his elbows as his head dipped down and he closed his eyes, "I trust you... Just... Never done-"

"Never done anything like this, I know. For better or worse, Levi, you're not my first..."

"No... I unde- I get you."

"Just listen to me, you _gorgeous, beautiful_ man. Listen to me tell you how fucking _sexy_ you look. How fucking _hot_ this is... "

Her voice did have a soothing quality when she pitched low but the sultry touch was also keeping him excited, "Feels like I need-"

Hanji snickered quietly as she began to apply more weight behind the toy, feeling it also within herself, "To think you would do this for me, Levi..."

"The only person I'd do this f-" Levi's voice halted as he felt the head of that blue cock pass into him.

" _God_ , you know just what to say to keep me _dripping_..." Hanji murmured as she continued to softly guide the toy into his virginal backside.

Levi inhaled deeply and gave a half-pant before raising his head to look back at her. Her grin was ear-to-ear. "You like this."

"How could you tell?"

"All over your fa-ace. Fuck. _Fuck_... You're-"

"Mmnn, right about now I'm where the good part starts. Feel that? That's why this is fun for us both."

"Y-yeah I... I know anatomy. I- _Fuck_. I just- I've- My dick is getting hard..."

" _Good_ , get it hard for me, Levi. Get it so _swollen_ and _aching_ , I want you as _hard_ as when I was _blowing_ you."

Well, he was almost there. The feeling of that toy against that particular spot had spurred arousal, had driven him to swell reflexively. He... Didn't hate it? "Should I be calling you mistress or something?"

She laughed louder than she intended, quickly contrasting it by curling her fingers and dragging her nails gently down his back. "I won't say _no_ but it's more about what _you_ want."

"I... Y-you can go further..."

"Yeah? Try and push me out just a bit and keep looking at me with those eyes. _God_ , if you could _see_ the look in them..."

He felt the same about the look on her face, an inexplicable fusion of excitement, amusement, concern, and arousal. He also felt her pressing in further. " _Jes-_ "

Hanji flicked her eyes between Levi's face and his perfect, muscled ass. Watching that toy steadily sink was one of the most erotic things she had ever experienced. "Mm, _Levi_..."

He loved when she said his name, he was getting addicted to the way it sounded ever since she began talking to him as more than just a friend. " _Hanji_ \- I... _Fuck_."

"You're turning me on so _fucking_ much, Levi. _I love this so much_ , I love that you are letting me have this part of you. That you are so calm." she cooed.

He closed his eyes and let his head hang again, feeling that invading toy burrowing deeper within him. It wasn't what he expected this to feel like. "I-"

" _Perfect, sexy, beautiful man_..." Hanji whispered as she pulled her hand away from the toy and then rand her hands up along his sides in tandem.

"You're the one who talked me into it..." he groaned, she was pushing harder but it was clear she was being careful. Levi knit his brows and then lightly rocked back against her.

Hanji gasped and then cried out in delight, grinning bright as the pushed forced pleasure upon her and she watched it move in further. "H-hah... Fucking me _back_?"

Levi pressed back again and could not suppress the moan that spilled from his mouth, "Should I stop?"

" _No_! I mean... Just what you're comfortable with. It's almost all the way in, Levi. This is so fucking _hot_..." she huffed, feeling herself clutching the toy internally.

Levi had felt sure the toy was almost all the way in for what felt like a minute, still... He loved how much she loved this. "Finish it, push all of it in..."

She let out a gleeful little noise and dragged her hands down to grip his hips, pulling them toward her as she leaned into him, it was only a moment before she hilted, " _Fuck...!_ "

Levi echoed her sentiment exactly just a bit after it started, " _Fuck_. Sh-shit... _Fuck_. I-It feels so-"

"Good?" Hanji whispered, slowly bending over him, gliding her hands up along his back.

"I was going to say big."

"Would have been my second guess."

"Hanji does this... Really work for you?"

" _God yes_ , Levi. You have _no_ idea how much I love this right now, with _you_."

Levi nodded, "Good. I... Why do you make it so easy to forget everything except yourself when you talk to me?"

"That's more about you, isn't it?" She said, giving soft chuckle as she laid herself upon his back and curled her arms under him, feeling at the muscles in his chest.

He liked the way she seemed to just like touching him. Maybe it was a normal couple thing but he never really knew normal. "I guess."

"Mm... Fuck, I love how damn _ripped_ you are... Why didn't I ever invite you over sooner?"

"Probably because I would have said no until the other night."

"Probably... Mm. You feel like you're made of _stone_..."

Levi felt her fingers slipping up along the back of his neck and he shivered as her fingers moved up into his hair, slipping through it. "Guh..."

Hanji swiftly guided her other hand down to his hip and then curl her fingers around him, slipping down to the root of him, "You are just about rock hard, you know."

"Don't... Ruin this with your bad jokes." Levi breathed, smiling despite himself. Still, he could not help but gasp as he felt her begin to genuinely work her hand up and down the length of him.

Hanji grinned to herself wickedly at the response and lowered her head to softly kiss his shoulder, her eyes drifting shut, "So fucking _hard for me_ , aren't you?"

The way she said that made the hair on his neck stand on end, made him want to affirm it vocally but he caught himself, "It's good..."

"I can't believe this is happening... God, this is so fucking sexy, Levi. I never thought you would-"

"I'm learn-ngh. Learning that I'll do a _lot_ to make you happy."

"Oh, _Levi_... _Sweet boy_... You've been making me happy longer than you know."

"Boy?"

"Don't give me shit for what comes out of my mouth, it's affectionate... It's an endearment."

"I don't hate it, just... New for me to hear."

Hanji snickered against Levi's back, dragging her lips over to his spine, "You haven't heard much and we both know it."

Of course, she wasn't wrong. "Are you a lover or my boss right now?"

"Mmnn, I _want_ to say both but... Well, it's the former."

"You're being as savage as you are at work."

"Is that a problem?"

"Not exactly."

"Well, I guess you did say you thought about us at work... But I imagine the positions were reversed."

"It's... I've looked at your desk as something to bend you over more than a few times."

Hanji continued stroking in a slow and lazy fashion, she wanted him to get used to this feeling. "I guess I'll have to bend over more."

Levi was in something of a trance between the lilt and smoke of her voice and her attention to his body, "Don't create a hostile work environment."

Hanji giggled and began to softly trail her tongue up along the divot of his spine, pausing only to speak "Do something about it."

"I bet you'd get off on it more tha- Fuh... More than I would..."

"I can't say it isn't kind of a thrill to think about doing that with everyone just outside..."

"Exhibitionist?"

"No, just kinky as fuck."

"I'm learning that."

"Levi...?"

"Mn?"

"Can I move?"

"Yeah just-"

"Just be gentle. I know. Think about who you're talking to."

"Just kind of came out."

"Well, relax. I want you to _enjoy this with me_... I want this cock to _explode_."

"I don't even know how we _got_ here and I lived it."

"Mnhnhn. It's a bit intoxicating, isn't it?"

Hanji began to draw her hips back and the straps keeping the toy aligned tugged a bit. She could feel it moved within her and exhaled slowly. The hand from Levi's hair moved to his shoulders and gently slipped back and forth across is shoulders as she withdrew. Her lips kissed each column of his spine as she groaned lightly through her nose. She let her face nuzzle over his back until she finally uprighted herself in a slow and lovely fashion. He missed the feel of her immediately, her body against him and the firm little buds of her nipples. She looked over him as her hands withdrew to rest at his hips. Just seeing the toy withdrawing from him made her thighs rub together. Levi was left with a profound feeling of vacancy he wasn't expecting. It had felt larger than it was and now it was pulling away and he was... empty? It was a curious feeling.

Hanji moaned quietly as she shifted and began to press her weight toward him again. Levi groaned and swallowed forcefully, feeling her moving back within him. She hit that spot again and his cock twitched. It felt like he was already sort of close. As Hanji slid back within Levi her hands gently ran up along the curves of the muscle in his back, her eyes drinking in the sight of it all. Levi could not suppress the rumbling groan from his throat as she once more buried herself. He cursed, took a breath, and then experimentally shifted his hips in just a bit of a rocking fashion. Hanji let out that impossibly cute-and-sexy sound- the gasp, short cry, and surely a bright happy grin on her face. She shivered a bit as her nails raked his shoulders but began to draw back again, letting them slowly drag all the way to his backside. Faint pink marks were left in their wake but he hardly would have cared. Hanji moved up on the balls of her feet and Levi raised his head, turning to look at her. She had that grin beaming at him but her eyes were rather focused.

Levi watched her closely as he felt her sinking in and was caught off-guard by the sensation of the head of that toy applying so much direct pressure to his prostate. His head immediately fell and he curled his fingers into fists as she began to move in shallow strokes. He knew she knew exactly what she was doing- it had to be written on his body with how strongly he reacted to it. Every time she dragged or pushed the head of that toy over that spot he was left to huff or groan. He felt his cock twitching, still, every time. It felt good but he was doing his best not to just jerk off as she fucked him. She must have had a similar idea or just a plan in general because the grip of her hand surprised him in the best way. He shot a look back at her as she placed one hand on his lower back and leaned in closer to him. Her lips kissed his shoulder-blade and her hand gently stroked him. Levi didn't quite cry out but there was a drawn out sound that it evoked as pleasure danced through his nerves.

"Oh, _yes_ , I feel it. Your cock is _drooling_ , Levi.." Hanji cooed into his shoulder and then softly rested her head there.

Levi could feel it, too, it felt like pre-cum in a way, "You're the one with... Experience here. You know _damn_ well what you're doing."

"I do..." she let out with a happy little hum, smearing him with the substance, stroking him with it.

"Fuck... Fuck- I... It _feels_ like I'm coming but-"

"Mm, good. Just let me milk this hard cock of yours. Let me _make your cum drool from the tip_ , Levi."

"I don't think... Think there's another option-FUCK... Hanji..."

"I _love_ the sounds you make for me, Levi..." she whispered in a tone that was utterly sinful.

He couldn't think of making them for anyone else, "Just for you..."

"It feels good for me too... I think you're ahead of me, a bit, but it feels _so good_ when I'm moving faster like this."

"Nn... Fuck, I _need_ to come."

"Mm, Levi, I'll make you come _so fucking hard_ for me."

"For you."

"Yesss, _for_ _me_... Just for _me_." she let out.

Levi nodded, "I- I _really_ want to come."

Hanji grinned to herself as she raised her head and flicked her tongue across the flesh of his back. Standing upright again, she was able to more directly target him again. Levi gasped as he felt her press in anew and closed his eyes. She was making sure to place so much attention right there where he wanted it and still stroke at him- he couldn't help but thrust into her hand and draw back which effectively aided her movements. It was a savage cycle, being driven to thrust his hips by the toy and then causing the movement of the toy to quicken as he drew back. Hanji seemed to take it as a green light and began to move quicker, letting out soft puff of air every time she withdrew.

Levi's hands turned and his fingers uncurled just to curl up in the sheets under him, he sucked air through his teeth as she moved, as she caused a steady drool of spunk from his cock. It was like nothing he had felt before. Of course he was left speechless at the sensations, of course he gasped when he did. It was something he didn't even know could feel this good. She ran her hand eagerly up and down his back, stroking at it encouragingly as she tried to keep her hand steadily moving. Levi could feel himself nearing the edge and he breathed heavier and heavier, letting it all flow together into that lovely rhythm. One that was tragically halted.

"You're going to come if I keep this up." Hanji said in a sweet but sultry tone.

Levi grunted with a hint of frustration, "That's the idea..."

"Not like this."

"What?"

"I don't want it to be like this... Trust me."

"I... F-fine... "

Hanji gently began to draw back but she continued to stroke him even as she pulled from his body entirely. He felt an urge to glare at her but instead just studied her. She rolled her eyes and brought her hand up in a vaguely circular pattern and began to push at his hip while cooing 'Over' under her breath. He complied- honestly, there wasn't much he could imagine he wouldn't do for her to keep pumping her hand on his cock. She smiled brightly at him and leaned over him, placing her hand on his chest. Her lips closed in and she kissed him firmly, and his eyes drifted shut. He could feel her humming softly into his mouth as her tongue teased his lips. She broke away with warm, loving gaze into his eyes, the thinnest bit of saliva bridging their lips and then snapping. She took hold of the toy again with one hand and then hooked her arm under his knee, guiding his leg up and leaning in to guide it back.

It wasn't hard to grasp what she was doing and he assisted her. She kissed his calf as he felt the tip of the toy at the entrance to his backside once more. He gazed into her eyes and they shared a long look before he nodded at her. She pressed forward and Levi felt himself open for her once more but with considerably less resistance but it still made him cry out in the same way. The head slipped in and she paused, still looking into his eyes, and gripped his cock by the base again, gently stroking. He let his head fall back but still watched her. She slipped in further and the pleasure of the bit of the toy within her was clear on her face. She nudged that bulb again and another twitch made his prick ooze more. She laughed delightedly, excitedly, as she focused on his cock. Her strokes were slow and more like steady pulls upward with quick downstrokes. It really did feel like she was milking it out of him.

"Fuck... It's going to be so hot when you _fucking come for me_ , Levi... I'm going to _make you come_ \- I'm going to make you come and I'm going to come and then I'm going to slurp that mess up because I won't let that _fucking cum_ go to _waste_." she let out in almost feral intensity.

Levi... liked it. When she was aggressive like that it just _hit_ something in him- maybe it was because he'd never been with a woman like her. "F-fuck... When you _say_ it like that..."

" _Your fucking. Cum_."

" _Hanji_ -"

"Fucking _cum, spunk, nut_ \- whatever the _hell_ you want to call it. _I want it_." she hissed, staring into his eyes.

He relished just how intense her gaze was, almost manic. "You look _really fucking hot_ when you make that face..."

She seemed to falter a moment and then she grinned and shook her head, "I... You _like_ it."

"Y-yeah- _FUCK_."

"I love that you like it... Sometimes I get a bit _over-excited_."

"I've seen it before, at work... Close to it."

Hanji cackled, running her hand up over his chest and then smiling as she looked him over, "You like it, it figures."

Levi sucked in needed air and moved to plant his heels on the bed. "What?"

"That's the look that scared off the last guy I dated." she spoke, snorting.

Levi couldn't help but think the guy was a fucking idiot, "Sounds like he didn't know you very well.."

"He didn't, really, it was kind of- Why are we talking about this right now?"

"Because I want you to keep looking at me like you want to _rip my throat out_ with your _teeth_ \- or stare holes in me."

Hanji allowed herself a slightly embarrassed smile and closed her eyes, she inhaled deeply and Levi admired how her lovely, small breasts rose and fell. "This cock..." she whispered, beginning to stroke again and slowly beginning to pull back. She moved within him until she saw it register on his face, felt his cock twitch. Her face took on that look slowly as she gazed over him, as she stroked him, as she saw him enjoying himself. Her tongue swept her lips and she genuinely began to fuck him in those shallow strokes, finding his eyes. Her gaze melted into that same intensity, like she could burn right through him- but at the same time he could not look away. The grin crept onto her face and she gasped before exhaling a delightful noise and biting her bottom lip. It stayed delighted and eager until she spoke again, her eyes narrowing.

"This cock is going to _come for me_... Levi. You're _going to come for me_ , it's going to be _my cum_ so don't you _dare_ hold back. I want _every little drop_. Every _ounce_ , do you hear me?" Hanji hissed at him.

Levi shuddered with pleasure- fuck, she looked hot like that. "Yes, _fuck_... _God_ , that fucking look in your eyes drives me _insane_."

"Good, then you know how I feel looking at you right now. You're going to come so _hard_ for me, all over that _perfect_ fucking set of abs you have- _God_ I fucking _love_ how built you are!"

"Ngh... G-goddamn. I'm... Mng. I'm going to come for _you_ and you can do _anything_ you want with it-"

"Yes, because it's _mine_ , isn't it?"

"Y-yeah."

Hanji grinned wickedly and instead of her milking pattern she moved onto genuinely stroking him, "Fuck, I can't believe you're encouraging me."

"I like it- I _love_ the way you say filthy shit. I _love_ that you can be that beautiful and that dirty at the same time." he huffed, feeling her beginning to thrust harder.

"I want to come, I want you to come, Levi. I can't _wait_ to watch you fucking _come_."

"Y-you're getting there-"

Hanji leaned forward a bit and picked up her speed to match the force she was driving in with. " _Look at me..._ "

As if he had to be asked or... told? "You're _so fucking sexy_ , I can't fucking _stand_ it."

"Yeah? Gonna _come_?"

"Almost!"

She laughed in a way that, well, a person might find a bit unsettling. "Good!" she barked eagerly.

Her excitement was infectious, he loved how into it she was, "Just- Just a bit more..."

" _Come for me_ , Levi. _Give. It. To. Me._ " she hissed, falling onto her elbow above his shoulder and grasping the back of his head.

He... really liked just how close she was. He brought his hands up and pulled her into a rough kiss, panting against her lips. "Almost."

She smeared her lips over to his jaw and rapidly kissed to his ear, her fingers in his hair curled into a fist, "Come, _now_."

Levi's eyes opened wide at the sharp tinge of pain and then the absolute command in her tone hit him like a brick, "F-fuck! _Nownownow!_ "

Hanji immediately went upright and drove the toy in to the hilt, crying out with pleasure and staring at his cock as she pumped it furiously. She flitted her eyes to his face as his expression twisted with pleasure. Her rapid strokes were too much, he felt the world around them melting away as white-hot pleasure burned through him like he was old celluloid. A sticky, forceful rope of cum shot forcefully from him and his eyes shut tight. Levi groaned loudly and Hanji continued her strokes. Before the first gout of cum her even come to land upon him the next was loosed generously. Just the same came another arc of his seed and it all piled up upon his stomach and parts of his chest. He had no room to care.

Hanji bucked her hips into the toy and suddenly she cried out his name, instantly getting his eyes to stare upon her. One hand had snatched her right breast and positively mauled it but she didn't slow her hand. She trembled, shook, let out a fluttering cry of pleasure as she hit her peak. Levi's cock was erupting with weaker force and soon she was just milking cum from him to let it drool down her hand. She let her head dip back and her hand continued toying with her breast. She moaned wantonly from a grinning mouth. Levi was in his refractory soon and her strokes were impossible to endure calmly. He hissed and his hips squirmed and she suddenly snapped back to reality.

She pulled her hand from him and grinned in a bit of a silly look. She leaned back over him again and sighed. He could feel the trembling in her body as she looked over his torso, stained with cum. She began to gently withdraw the toy from him and he exhaled as it came free. Hanji immediately dipped down to his hips and ran her tongue shamelessly up the side of his cock, gathering his cum and humming in approval. Levi watched her as she went about lapping at him with focus and he shuddered as her tongue swirled around the tip of him. It was only when she gingerly let him pass between her lips that his hands went to her head. He clutched it as she dipped down the length of him with the last inch taking a couple of seconds to get to and then she applied savage suction to him as she pulled her head up. A loud pop announced his cock coming free of her mouth and then she was back down at the root of him, shamelessly slurping him from his skin before turning and going about cleaning her hand- as if she hadn't noticed the mess of it.

"Fuck, you really love it..." Levi whispered.

Hanji didn't look at him, she just kept at her diligent cleaning, "Something _wrong_ with enjoying this?"

"No, it's just... Kind of fun that you're so into it."

"I told you, Levi, this is my _reward_ , it's my proof that I made you feel wonderful. That I gave you pleasure that erupted all over you..."

"It... It really did."

"Well, I'm glad you like that I like it- can't imagine a guy who would complain."

Levi watched her just enjoy herself, feeling her tongue tracing the hard lines of his abdominal muscles, the noise of her sucking his seed off his skin. "Fuck... That's so _hot_."

Hanji hummed with glee as she continued to just bathe his abdominals with her tongue, seemingly utterly content. "Mm, it is hot... All this for _me_ , all over your sexy body..."

"You enjoy this on, like, a porn level."

"So what? Did you pick what gets you off? No. I just like this, it's one of my favorite things."

"You are a _blessing_."

"Don't forget you said that."

"Mm, why do I feel like that's going to come back to haunt me?"

"Because it will."

Levi chuckled, his elbows moving back to prop himself up, "I'm glad you got off, too."

"Of course I did, seeing you come like that was too much." Hanji spoke against his chest, chasing a few errant strands.

"Fuck, I need a shower."

" _When I'm done_."

"Take your time."

" _I am_."

Levi smirked, he felt... Happy in a way he really couldn't recall last. Perhaps a mix of the pleasure and adrenaline and... "You're amazing."

"Don't forget you said that either." Hanji quickly responded, sweeping her lips with her tongue and gazing over his torso carefully.

"It's... Something I've kind of felt for a while."

"As long as you've been _getting off_ thinking about me?"

"Longer than that. You're just... I don't know. There's no one like you."

"Levi, I mean this with all due respect, you don't really try to _meet_ people."

"Ow. You're right but... I don't know, _if_ there is anyone like you then you're still the best one."

"You think so? I like hearing that. Make sure and tell me that when you haven't just blown a load-"

"I will."

"And _mean it_."

"I will."

"I believe you..."

Levi gazed into her eyes and reached up, grabbing her by the jaw and pulling her in close, "Shower time."

Hanji pressed in for an eager, happy kiss. "All right, but you're going to carry me."

Levi smirked, brushing his fingers over her cheek, "Yes, Mistress."

Hanji snorted louder than she meant to- when just made her laugh at herself, "Is that going to be _A Thing_?"

"Maybe... Probably not." Levi admitted as he moved to slowly sit up with her.

Hanji fiddled with the straps on the rigging and then huffed as she withdrew the toy from herself, "Tease."

"Don't start that again. Wearing your fucking skirt and nylons to torture me... And _I'm_ a tease?" Levi shot back with a quirked brow.

"Mm, yeah. All _your_ fault, that _whole_ thing." she said as she shifted to straddle him and wrap her legs around him along with her arms.

Levi stood, hooking his arms under her backside, "Okay, then what does that make you?"

" _A blessing_." she cooed in saccharine fashion, fluttering her lashes.

"I fucking walked right into that one." Levi admitted.

"You can't just tee it up like that and think I won't take the swing." Hanji asserted.

"Low hanging fruit."

"Fruit is _good_ , have you ever had it? It's also good _for_ you!"

"You're going to be _terrible_ for me."

" _You're_ the fruit in this metaphor, Levi."

"Yeah, I stand by what I said."

"Ass."

"Kind of."

"Just carry me to the shower, Ass."

Levi chuckled and kissed Hanji on the temple, "Yeah, yeah. Working on it."

Levi carried Hanji with him as the continued to prod one another, carefully navigating through the doorway to the bathroom and going about preparing the shower. She could be the worst thing for him but he wasn't planning on going anywhere.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote basically all of this chapter in one go, hopefully it flows well and doesn't seem like it spends too long embellishing the action but, hey, that's kind of my thing? The graphic sex? Or maybe that's not my thing, maybe I don't know my thing. In any case, I hope you enjoyed this. I rather like Hanji as unapologetic about what she likes which is definitely where I wanted her enthusiasm to come from, not some kind of male fantasy trope but someone who is sex positive and loves what she loves.
> 
> As always, thank you very much for reading.


	5. Kuchel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a shower, Levi and Hanji settle in and talk. Levi tells someone about his past for the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just kind of felt like writing out some interaction. No sex here, it's basically all dialogue and I hate how I feel like I format it incorrectly. Anyway, just a bit of a dip into Levi's past.

The shower had been quiet a nice breather for Levi, the heat of the water had helped loosen up with tension was left in him and Hanji had practically pampered him. He was well aware part of it was her indulging herself in just having an excuse to run her hands all over him but there were certainly less flattering reasons out there for such a thing. It was nice to be looked at with such a desire, to feel like you were sexy and desirable- much more when a lot of your life was spent feeling like you were little more than a paycheck and a mouth to feed. She had made the whole affair so nice, nary a word was spoken throughout. She just bathed him with affection and no small amount of desire. He returned the treatment similarly but much more tamely, he was still sort of recovering from how much of the world had flipped on him in less than half of a day. They had dried off but Levi had taken it upon himself to gently dry her hair and she seemed to enjoy it. Clothing was tossed in the wash and Hanji had slid into some pajama bottoms and a flimsy tank-top, Levi was stuck with nothing after turning down the option of trying to find something that fit in her closet and not feeling terribly into wearing a silk robe. She had assured him she was just as fine with him wearing nothing as he was. They had climbed into bed and just laid there, next to each other. No embrace or really any touching save for the moved she made to thread her fingers between his and grasp them in her hand. It had certainly been a hell of a day.

Levi broke the long-held silence, staring at the ceiling. "You're quiet."

"So are you." Hanji murmured, squeezing Levi's hand as she turned her head toward him.

Levi shook his head, "Hanji, no one would be surprised if I was quiet-"

"What are you getting at?" Hanji asked, bemused.

Levi caught her dead to rights, "That you never shut up."

Hanji snorted and then raised her voice "You don't even talk to anyone, you can't be the judge of 'too much'. Besides, people like talking to me. I'm fun."

"You're... excitable."

"Which is another word for _fun_."

"It can also be another word for _tiring_."

"Good thing we're in bed, then, isn't it?"

"Actually, yeah. This bed is amazing. It makes mine feel like I sleep on the floor by comparison."

"Levi you are _exactly_ the kind of guy I imagine sleeping on a hard-as-a-rock mattress."

"What does that mean?" Levi inquired, turning to look at her, struck by her eyes instantly.

Hanji gazed warmly at him, "That you're constantly tense and wound up. Tonight has been one of the only times I've seen you just... Relax."

"I relax when I'm at home and don't have anyone tormenting me."

"I'm _still_ thinking you live in or next to a gym."

"I have always looked like this-"

"You _didn't_ come out of the womb like that. Your mother would have screamed and ran away."

Levi feigned offense, "No, I didn't. My mother was the one person in my life who didn't bail on me, _thank you_."

"Levi- I wasn't-" Hanji had began to say, clearly worried she had touched on something bad.

Levi shook his head, looking over her face. "I know, that's why I'm not mad."

There was a pause as Hanji relaxed, then she spoke. "So... I like looking at you, touching you, listening to you. Tell me some more about you?"

"I _apparently_ live in a gym."

"Come _on_ , I really want to know. I _like_ you, Levi, I really think you're a sweet guy."

"You tease me a lot for thinking so much of me."

"I tease you _because_ I like you, you do the _same_ thing."

"No, I don't. I'm just mean."

"You know you can't lie to me."

"I can try."

"And do very _very_ badly."

A heavy sigh left Levi's lips. "I'm not good at talking about myself, why ask me to do something that makes me uncomfortable in the most comfortable spot I have ever been in my life?"

"Is that because of the bed _or_ because of me?" Hanji asked, beaming at him as her brows rose.

Levi studied her for a second, "It's about 70-30."

"That's a lie." Hanji shot back, grinning.

Levi nodded, "Yeah, I was being generous. More like a 90-10."

"Come _on_." Hanji snickered.

"Fine, it's... _Mostly_ you."

"That's what I thought."

"Okay, I just admitted it, don't try and make it into a win."

"But I did win."

"I do feel like I'm losing something right now."

"The ability to hold back?"

"My patience, actually."

" _Fiiiine_ , I'll be nice. Just... I want to know more about you. You fascinate me, Levi. That's why you're here. I wouldn't have... Well, I _kind_ of pushed myself on you."

"Sort of. You didn't do anything I didn't want on some level. I just didn't have it in me to pull the trigger."

"Well, the fact you caved immediately was a bit of a relief."

"It wasn't immediate but... Watching you chop wood definitely carved a path for you to break me down quick." Levi confessed.

Hanji grinned broadly, "Oh? Was I grunting suggestively? Was it seeing me all worked up and out of breath?"

"Your arms and shoulders."

"Oh- Yeah, I can see that. Is that one of your things? Muscle on women?"

"Not necessarily but it looks amazing on you."

"Well, I don't go out of my way to focus on it but I guess most of my exercise is upper-body."

"It's not volleyball."

"Not _all_ of it but playing does keep the tone there."

"How often do you play?"

"A few times a month. Next weekend, actually."

"What do you do?"

"I win a lot."

"You know what I mean."

"I do- Now tell me about you. I really do want to know."

Levi knit his brows and shrugged, "There's not a lot to tell."

"There's a lot more than you've ever told, uh, _anyone_? Probably?" Hanji prodded gently.

"Yeah, that's fair." he admitted to her.

Her eyes lit up slightly, "I could work my charms on you, Levi, get you talking just like how I put the moves on you at the diner."

"You didn't do _anything_ consciously that night, it was just being around you."

"I make it look that way, don't I?"

"You get really annoying very fast, has anyone ever told you that?"

"Do I _need_ to answer that?"

"Yeah, that's a stupid question."

"What's stupid is you holding out on me. I want to know where you come from. How you became you. You skirted around it this morning."

"What do you even want to know?"

"Well, what about your parents? You just said your lost them."

"You really _are_ starting out on a pleasant topic, aren't you?"

"You don't have to tell me, you know I wouldn't ask you to do it if you were uncomfortable with it."

Levi studied her, slowly turning on his side to face her, "Despite what I would have said when you hired me... You do make it easy to talk."

"Yeah? That flatters me." Hanji told him as she shifted in similar fashion reaching out with her free hand to brush her fingers through his hair.

Another shrug from Levi, "I'm just being honest."

"That _why_ it's flattering." Hanji insisted.

"I didn't have a father- Okay, there was a person involved in terms of conception. _Don't start_." Levi pre-empted.

Hanji seemed a bit shocked for a moment, "I wasn't going to tease you about something like that- well not in regards to this."

"Yeah I... Guess I'm still kind of trying to..."

"Keep your distance? Close yourself off?"

"It doesn't matter. Most of my memories are hazy but they're all- mostly all of them- are good. When I was with my mother, I mean. I wish I could have realized just what she put herself through to keep me fed and under a roof."

"She must have been very sweet to have brought you into the world."

"She's... Like I said, the memories are hazy. Bits and pieces. They're just vague sorts of imagery and emotions tied to them. I know things but I don't necessarily remember them. It goes into that weird territory where you don't know if something is a memory or someone just told you about it."

"Mmhm. Plus, the more often you think on a memory the more fuzzy it can end up."

"It's a wonder I remember anything, then. My mother is the only reason I even kept going." Levi said, his eyes dipping and focusing on Hanji's chin for no real reason.

Hanji nodded gently, moving her hand to the back of his head. "You said it was rough growing up..."

A nod. "Yeah, but not with her. I was too young to really understand the kind of things she had to do to make ends meet."

"She must have really loved you." Hanji spoke warmly, moving to force him to look into her eyes again.

Those eyes were more beautiful than they had a right to be. "She did. Most of my life I felt like she was the only one who even gave a shit about me."

"Levi..." Hanji whispered, trailing off.

"I was a check in the mail to basically every family that had me... I didn't really make it easy on them to want to care about me, though. My mom was just... No one could ever be her. No one will ever be her. I will never, ever feel the kind of security I did around her. Which is funny, considering we lived in the most dangerous part of the city. I just didn't know it. She worked a factory job and then they closed the place down and then I just remember her constantly trying to get the change together to call about positions in the paper. Then she couldn't afford to buy papers and... I guess it was just the easiest way to make quick money to cover rent, to keep me in some kind of clothing, keep food in my stomach."

"I'm sorry, Levi."

"Nothing could be helped. I don't know enough to even remember just why it all went the way it did. It's just me guessing and trying to figure out who my mother was."

"You _know_ who she was. If she made you feel safe and took care of you..."

"I just mean the other stuff. Like... I don't know her favorite color, what kind of music she liked, what my grandparents were like, if she was allergic to anything, if she liked steak rare or well-done- I won't know and _most_ of the time I'm okay with that but sometimes I just get mad about it. Most of my teenage years was me being mad about it. Probably even before then."

"I think we all got some kind of angry in our teens, but it must have been a lot. She clearly meant a lot to you."

The words left his mouth without him even thinking about it, " _Everything._ "

"She was your whole world." Hanji cooed, smiling at him fondly.

Levi paused and gave a curt nod. "Yeah."

"She would be so _proud_ of who you are." Hanji assured him, softly toying in his hair.

"I don't know, I just feel like I've spent my life surviving more than living."

"Do you remember me telling you how you're a nice person? That's what I'm talking about, Levi."

"Yeah, I remember."

"Plus, you have a good job, you are healthy and incredibly good looking, in perfect shape... And rumor is that you're seeing someone with a cute nose."

"I... It _is_ cute, yeah."

"I'm sure she would be happy you didn't end up giving up or becoming a criminal."

Levi scoffed a bit, "I was before I actually learned some sense."

"You were just figuring things out." Hanji murmured.

"I'm _still_ figuring things out."

"Well, you were figuring out more about who you were. You were growing up."

"I guess. I still kind of feel bad about the last family that I was with. Looking back I can see they really tried but I was so close to eighteen that I had just checked out almost entirely."

"Well, you didn't have a reason to expect them to care if your previous experiences were different."

"I did actually talk to them like a decade later and apologize to them for being a shithead."

"Did you use the word 'shithead'?"

"Yes."

"I bet they said you weren't that bad."

"I mean, they said they knew it was probably really hard and they had only wanted to help me but... I don't know, I can't go back and make the connections that could have been made."

"It's not too late, you know."

"It is. I thanked them but it would just be weird to kind of come back after this long and try and be someone I don't feel I am."

"I guess I honestly couldn't know what that's like but... I bet they were happy you were a successful adult."

" _You're_ successful, Hanji. I just somehow managed not to become an inmate."

" _That's a success_ , Levi. The world crushes people, it doesn't care about them. I mean, it just takes one trip to prison to make someone a career criminal- the justice system in this country is stupid."

"You sound like a counselor."

"I considered being one. I almost went into psychology but, well, I made my choices."

"They seemed to have worked out."

"Right?"

"Anyway. I apologized and thanked them and told them I recognized and appreciated what they tried to do and I mean... They send a card at Christmas and a card on my birthday and I write a letter to thank them-"

"You write it by _hand_?"

Levi raised a brow, "You say that like it's weird."

"No, it's extremely personal! It's heartfelt! I bet they _love_ getting those letters!" Hanji exclaimed.

"I... Well, I just figured that if they took the time to write on the card, I could take the time to write back." Levi explained, lifting his untaken hand to rest it on her side.

"I _keep telling you_ that you're a very nice person, Levi. It's like the dishes. You didn't have to wash them but you _insisted_. You _didn't_ have to write them back or respond at all, you didn't have to _ever_ contact them again. _How_ did they get your address, tell me." Hanji demanded gently.

"Uh, I gave it to them?" Levi replied, confused.

Hanji shook her head, "You just keep proving my point."

"I suppose."

"She'd be so proud of you."

"Maybe. I could have turned out a lot worse, I guess."

"Yeah. So, uh, what happened? I don't want to dredge up painful memories or anything, I just want to know about you."

"It's all right. She got really sick and never got better. It was the scariest thing I've ever experienced and I've been in more than one knife-fight."

"We'll get to that last part another time because that's _definitely_ something I want to hear about, but... You were how old?"

"Like... Five?" Levi offered, "I was just attached to her at the hip."

Hanji nodded, looking into his eyes. "Do you know what she was sick with?"

Levi shrugged, "Probably syphilis if I had to guess. Thinking back to the last bits of what I remember."

Hanji hissed as she inhaled through her teeth, "I... I'm sorry."

"I didn't even tell you she was selling herself, did I?" Levi asked.

Hanji widened her eyes, "No..."

"Yeah, I didn't really get it at the time, I just knew men would come by and then they would ' _go to the store_ ' and she'd come back with groceries. Sometimes looking like she got in a fight."

"Oh, Levi..."

"She just agreed when I asked if she got in a fight, told me it was all the more reason I had to stay inside and not ever let anyone in but her."

"So she did that for you..."

"... Yeah. She did what she had to do. I imagine it was just an easy way to get the money we had to have just to keep barely shy of starving."

"She had to have dealt with a lot..."

Levi sighed and nodded, closing his eyes. "Yeah, I started associating who certain assholes that ' _took her to the store_ ' were when she would come back like that and I would promise I wasn't hungry-"

"Levi..." Hanji whispered, her hand moving to gently brush over his cheek.

"She _knew_ I was hungry, she was hungrier than I was on _any_ given day."

"It must have really hurt..."

"Yeah, I... She got smart about it, she stopped letting me see who it was because she knew I'd probably say something to them."

"I can only imagine."

"I still wish I could just go back and beat the _shit_ out of every one of them that hurt her." Levi said as his eyes opened slowly.

Hanji nodded, keeping silent.

"She was so skinny and... She just looked miserable at the end but she always smiled when she knew I was looking at her. She tried to smile all the time."

"She was probably scared that you'd find out things weren't so-"

"I saw it on her face, when she didn't know I was awake or looking, I forgot so much but I will never forget the how she looked when she would just cry to herself."

"But you remember her smiles."

Levi sighed and nodded, "Yeah. There were a lot of them. I think she just got worn down over time. I wish I could go back and tell her how thankful I am for all of it."

"She knows. She knew that you would know." Hanji whispered, leaning in closer, kissing Levi's forehead.

"I don't know, I just... I never felt ashamed of her, never felt embarrassed. Even when kids found out and said things I only got mad because they were talking about it like I _should_ have been embarrassed."

"How did they know?"

"Usually it slipped out of someone in the foster family."

"Children can be so terrible..."

"Yeah. I wasn't great, either. After she died... some time after. A guy showed up looking for her. Some guy I hadn't ever seen. He knew her name, her full name."

"What did he want?"

"He was her brother. I don't know if he just tracked her down or someone knew someone and told him I was there by myself with her."

"The state didn't take you in when you told someone she died?"

"I didn't _tell_ anyone. I just sat next to her, scared out of my mind, telling myself she'd wake up."

"Levi..."

"Of course, she didn't. I think that if he hadn't shown up I would've just stayed there like that until I couldn't look at her."

"What did he do?"

"He kicked in the door, found her, looked at me and he told me who he was. Said I was old enough to know to tell someone. So he walked me to the payphone at the corner and I called 9-1-1 and said 'My mom's name is Kuchel Ackerman and she went to sleep and won't wake up.' They asked how long she had been asleep, I said 'A long time.' and I told them my address. Well, I think I might have had it wrong but they found it."

"Did he _care_ at all?"

"I don't know, I guess he might have. He told me he had to take care of me then, we stayed in his truck until she ambulance showed up and then we left- it was the only way I would go with him. I had to be sure she was found." Levi recalled, his voice cold.

Hanji clearly was withholding tears, she didn't say a thing.

"I knew, I _knew_ she was dead. I just didn't want to believe it but... My piece-of-shit uncle at least let me see it with my own eyes before driving off with me.

"He wasn't very nice, I guess...?"

Levi chuckled dryly, his eyes distant, "I know why my mom kept me away from him or why she didn't try to contact him. He drank a lot, he was a huge dick, and he told me _every_ day about how I had to toughen up and be strong and learn to fight. If I didn't know how to fight then the world was going to eat me alive. If I couldn't fight, I couldn't be a man."

Hanji kissed Levi's forehead again and moved to nuzzle softly into the part of his hair, "I'm so sorry."

"I mean... I can't tell you if he's the reason I _survived_ so many fights or the reason I got _in_ so many fights. He wouldn't ever get involved. He'd just let me get my ass kicked."

"That's horrible!"

"Like I said, piece-of-shit uncle."

"Did anyone ever call the police?"

"Where we lived? No, no one trusted the cops and he made sure I, especially, didn't trust them."

"I... You went through all of this and- how did you end up in foster care? What about your father"

Levi tucked his face into Hanji's neck and rested for a few moments before speaking again, "I honestly don't know anything about my father, he wasn't there so he wasn't important. When I finally started winning fights my uncle would tell me I was ' _being a man_ ' and he'd let me drink a shot of whiskey"

Hanji brought her arm around him rather than continuing to play her hand over his cheek, "That probably wasn't too good..."

"It was the closest thing to 'I'm proud of you' that ever came out of him. I got into it with a kid with a knife and I ended up stabbing him with his own damn knife. He bought me a _steak_ , told me I almost killed the kid and needed to make sure that didn't happen 'next time'. I actually went to bed kind of happy that night. I woke up the next morning with CPS banging on the door."

"Someone called them, finally?"

" _He_ called them. He fucking _left_. He left a bottle of whiskey on the counter and a note telling me I earned it and that's the last I ever saw of him."

" _What_?"

"I answered the door, they said they were looking for me and that they heard I didn't have a caretaker and then it was kind of a blur as I got thrown into the system. Spent half my life figuring out he fucked me up, made me look at everyone like they were out to get me."

"I can't believe he jus-"

"Yeah, _fuck_ that guy."

"Yeah... I'm sorry you had to deal with that, Levi."

Levi shook his head, "It's... I mean, I'd love to go kick his ass but I don't want to dedicate the effort to find him. He probably died of cirrhosis at some point. If he's still alive now he'd be too pathetic to put up a fight."

Hanji kissed Levi's temple, "You became a good person, despite it, Levi."

Levi shrugged and just enjoyed having the warmth of her body against him, "I wonder how I would have turned out if I hadn't gone into that first foster family looking for excuses to distrust them or just being a little asshole all the time."

Hanji shifted and pulled Levi toward her as she moved onto her back. Her arms wrapped around his neck and head and cradled his face to her neck, "But you're here."

"It took a long time to get where I... I don't know, it's all in the past and it sucked but it's over and getting mad about it now isn't going to solve anything. I can't blame anyone for it."

"Well, I certainly blame him for a lot."

"Oh, no, he screwed me up _bad_. I know that."

"He didn't ' _screw you up_ ' he just taught you the wrong things. You figured out, though. There is nothing wrong with you, there never was. You were mistreated at a young age-"

"I know, I just... I don't mean that there's something wrong with me just- It is what it is. I'm past that, not that person."

"You're beautiful, Levi. You are sweet and considerate."

"Maybe a little."

"A lot, you had enough of that taught to you by your mother to shake off the crap your uncle fed you."

Levi just rested on her, letting that thought wash over him. "Yeah, I guess so."

"You're the sum total of your life experiences and those years with your mother are _why_ you are such a sweet man." Hanji whispered on the crown of his head.

"I'm just not a piece of shit."

"That, too, _but_ also sweet."

"I've never told anyone about all of this."

"Your uncle?"

"My uncle, my mother... I mean, I said my mother was good to me, she cared, she loved me but I _never_ got deeper into it than that."

"That makes me feel really special."

"I told you that you're the only person who makes me feel like talking is easy."

"I'm happy that I can be that for you. I am lucky that you trust me so much."

"You just don't seem like there's any bad side of you... Like you're genuinely just nice."

"Well, I would hope so but I have been mean and I will be mean if I need to be."

"I get it. I just mean, by default, you're just... _Warm_."

"That's a nice thing to say."

Levi sighed and slowly curled his arms under her, embracing her tightly. "Well, you would know if I was lying."

"I would." Hanji murmured, grinning to herself. "I'm so happy Levi."

"That we finally hooked up?"

"That, too, but... Just right now. I feel _really_ happy."

"You deserve to be happy."

"You're the one making me this happy, Levi."

"Good. I don't ever want to make you feel bad."

"You won't. Just be yourself and I won't ever have a reason to feel bad."

"I wish I had my shit together _half_ as much as you, Hanji." Levi whispered on her skin.

Hanji laughed loudly, "Oh, Levi, you _know_ I don't remotely have my shit to-"

"Yeah I was trying to say I'm super bad about it."

"But you're not, don't be silly."

"Guess it's just how I'm wired."

"You _do_ seem to have some things ingrained in you but it's nothing I can't handle."

Levi ran his hands up, under her shirt and over the skin of her back while she gently slipped her legs around him. He raised his head and looked down at her and she gave him a smile as warm as any he had ever seen from her. She had no idea how beautiful she was, he felt. Perhaps, more correctly, No one else but him knew how beautiful she was. Somehow they could not see the obvious. He felt lucky, like he didn't deserve someone that was so... Not just gorgeous but also just so kind. He couldn't have said who he 'deserved' to be with a week ago but now he knew who he wanted to be with. Work was going to be... Weird. For her, though, for them? He'd figure something out. He could handle working somewhere else if this was who he got to spend his nights with. Maybe he was jumping the gun, maybe this was just kind of a sex thing with someone who was very tender. He honestly couldn't say.

Levi shifted between her thighs and nuzzled into her hair at the side of her head, "Uh, so... Is this... What are we? Now?"

"I don't know what you would call it. Dating?" Hanji offered, moving to softly kiss his shoulder.

"We haven't been on a date. We went to the diner."

"It was _basically_ a date."

"No, it was-"

"I asked you to come with me because I wanted to spend time with you. It _was_ a date."

"It's not a date if both people aren't _aware it's a date_."

" _What_ would have been different if you knew it was a date?"

"I would have been a _lot_ more nervous."

"But what about us would be _different_?"

"We probably wouldn't be this close already, you probably wouldn't have made a move. I might not have ever been able to feel like I can talk to you like I do-"

"So how does making it not a date help _anything_?"

"I guess it doesn't."

"It doesn't."

Levi knit his brow as he enjoyed the scent of that clean, chestnut hair, "I'm complicating it."

Hanji ran her fingers up into his hair, she head his head in her hands and turned to kiss his ear, "It's kind of complicated but we'll sort it out."

"Hanji..." Levi began but trailed off.

She rubbed her cheek into his, "Yes, Levi?"

"I'm happy too."

"Aww, Levi. You really _must_ be comfortable around me to say that."

"I guess. I'm mostly just glad I _could_ say it and then the rest of me is glad you're not teasing me over it."

"I wouldn't tease you over it, not in the moment. Today has been just... Crazy and wonderful and exciting."

"It's been... A _lot_. But it's been a good lot. You still want me to stay tomorrow night, too?"

"Hell yes, I do. I'm still _unbelievably_ turned on and just... Hungry."

Levi knew what she meant. "Mm. Well, I wanted to stay so... Good. I'm... You make it hard not to be turned on, honestly."

Hanji chuckled, "Good, it's about time a man fawned over me."

"I'm not _fawning_ , I just think you're hot."

"And sexy."

"I figured it was implied-"

"Nope, you have to say it all, especially the nose part."

"You're sexy, your nose is... I never realized noses could be a thing that were attractive until I saw you." Levi said with no room for doubt of the veracity of his words.

Hanji grinned to herself, "And it's...?"

"It's cute."

" _Yes_! I _love_ that, it's just... No one has _ever_ said that and, well, growing up I did think it was _kind_ of big and ugly but-"

"It's not. I like it a lot."

"I know, it makes me feel giddy when you say you like it. It's... I don't know, it's not something anyone has ever said and I guess I feel weirdly shy about it? I feel like I could blush when you say that."

"Well, at least I know a way I can fluster you."

"Maybe so. At least I know that any time I want to do the same to you all I have to do is lean over your shoulder at work."

"Telling you that was a _mistake_."

Hanji cackled, "You're damn right it was. Work is going to be _hell_ for you now."

Levi smiled, despite himself. "It was pretty rough already."

"You love your job."

"I love having a job I don't actively hate."

" _Annnnnd_?"

Levi thought a moment. "It pays well?"

" _Annnnnnd_?" Hanji lead on, trying to pull an answer out of him.

"What?"

" _Annnnnd_?"

"Hanji, what?"

"Come on. _Annnnnd_ you have...?"

"A job I'm kind of good at?"

"You have a _boss_..."

"I have a boss I don't hate." Levi stated plainly.

Hanji rolled her eyes, "You have a boss you don't hate and is _also_?"

"I have a boss who never _shuts up_."

"Who never shuts up and is _also_?"

"Really hot? That's seriously all I've got."

"I'll take it."

Levi tightened his embrace upon her in a way that made her squeak a bit, but she returned the gesture. She mashed his face in against her neck and held him there. Levi placed his lips to the skin at the nap of her neck and felt her shiver underneath him. He applied his tongue and gave her one long, slow lick. Hanji gasped in his ear and let out a sweet hum in approval. Levi shifted, kissing his way up along her neck, up to the corner of her jaw. Her fingers tightened in his hair with each kiss and she inhaled deep and slow as she felt his tongue trailing up along her jawline. She exhaled a fluttering, almost melodic, sound of pleasure. "You like that." Levi observed. Hanji nodded and squeezed him between her thighs. "You make really nice sounds... I love that... Like that gaspy-cry thing you do and that sound you just made, where it sounds like you're shivering, kind of, but it's- it's clearly something you do in reaction to pleasure." Hanji kept smiling, playing with his hair. He relished the moment, he enjoyed every bit of it. Levi moved and dragged his lips over her cheek. She was, however, left at a loss for words as he kissed her nose- not just in the way one kisses the tip of a lovers nose but upon the bridge. She gave soft little gasp and he chuckled, kissing it again. He supposed there was more to it than just lips on skin, he was kissing affectionately, he kissed her nose because he liked her nose. Perhaps that showed.

"Levi... I don't- No one has ever kissed my nose before let alone has anyone kissed my nose in a way that turned me on." Hanji whispered.

Levi shook his head lightly and kissed her cheek, "You're weird."

"Wh- _You're_ weird."

"I _like_ that you're weird, Hanji."

"I like that you're just... You."

"Yeah? You're not going to tease me?"

"Don't say it like it's all I do."

"You do have fun with it."

" _You_ do it as much as _I_ do."

"Mm, I don't know, you seem to have a _lot_ more fun with it."

"Levi..."

"Yeah?"

"Shut up already and kiss my nose again."

"All right."

Levi let his lips brush her cheek and then, once more, kissed the bridge of her nose in a soft and affectionate fashion. Hanji shivered as her spine arched without her input and she cackled at her own reaction to that kiss. Levi smiled to himself and proceeded to give another, more lingering one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fuck that guy, right? Kenny, you suck.  
> That aside, I just kind of felt like this happening between them. I have to say I probably should have expected writing so much about Kuchel to hit me like it did having lost my mother about 5 weeks ago. Not that Kuchel and my mother have more in common here than being loving and well-missed but I'm still figuring out how to grieve. Probably a little too personal but it is what it is. Maybe it's an exercise in grief in its own way. I couldn't tell you.
> 
> Anyway, now I've painted out Levi's history for the most part and Hanji is forever delighted that Levi likes her nose. He and I share the same thing in common in that Hanji is the entire reason I now notice a person's nose on their face as a feature that can be attractive. Before AoT I never paid it mind but Hanji changed that. AoT has some good noses! Pieck, Annie, especially Hanji. I'm sure I'm forgetting one but now I'm rambling.
> 
> Thanks for reading.


End file.
